RoboTech: Mars Alight
by theGhostflyer
Summary: An Au story with minor character alterations (Rick mostly) and dealing with the results of Bye-bye Mars! episode and how the choices made will change the future for our two favorite officers, Rick and Lisa. As stated, this is gonna be AU for the most part but will still follow the canon storyline. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. Oh, and drop a review please! M For bad words.
1. Chapter 1 Bye Bye Mars!

**A/N 20170104: Currently going back through and correcting issues in spelling and grammar. Each chapter will be undergoing a bit of work to smooth them out and some plot elements may find alterations themselves for a smoother read.**

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Chapter 1 Bye, bye Mars

The glowing visage of Mars slowly began to shrink, smaller and smaller as the massive carrier/battleship hybrid known as the SDF-1 resumed her course to Earth, a place the men and woman aboard had not seen for nearly a year since. Not since the ill fated hyperspace fold over Macross Island. A fold that not only stranded her RDF crew, but also all of the 70,000 surviving inhabitants with them out to the orbit of Pluto. On the aft observation deck, not far from the hangers, two people watched the Red Planet shrink off into the distance, silently going over what the red planet meant to them, and the consequences of the actions taken by both. A young man with messy black hair leaned against the bulkhead and trained his blue orbs on the form of the woman he literally had to break through a wall to save from a certain, fiery death that had been waiting on her had the Reflex furnace of Sara Base gone critical with her in it. Rick Hunter gazed upon the young woman before him, no longer labeling her with the same childish name he had all those months ago. He didn't see a grumpy old lady, one so caught up in regulations that she seemed more alien to him then the enemy, in front of him. No, right now, he found himself watching over the emotional and quite vulnerable form of Lieutenant Commander Lisa Hayes. He watched the young woman as she hugged herself tightly, quiet sobs shaking her body ever so slightly. His heart went out to the woman, one that looked like she needed a friend.

Her pain filled eyes seemed to linger on the planet they had just left, tears silently flowing down her had been so close. So close to seeing her love once more. A man she had fallen for when she was seventeen years old, a young man who had the boy next door in her eyes. And she had gladly awaited death, waited for the end to the lonely pain in her heart. A pain she had covered the best she could since his death on the barren planet almost five years ago. It had been the perfect chance for her. But it had been snatched away from her. Snatched away in the tight grip of a Veritech pulling her from Karl's room. She didn't even bother to look at the young Sergeant, as her anger at his defiance, both from disobeying her orders to just leave her to her fate, to his silent guard over her he was standing not twenty feet away. She didn't want to even be in the same room as him.

"You should have left me. I was supposed to die there." She growled out, her angry tone quite obvious as was her pain.

Rick blinked in surprise, her statement being quite a shock to him. Rick slowly turned his gaze to the Red Planet as he spoke.

"I'm pretty sure if Captain Gloval had intended it to be a suicide mission, he wouldn't have ordered Skull Squadron to rescue you." Rick retorted, wondering just what in the hell was putting her in such turmoil. "And believe it or not, I wasn't about to just let you give up and die ma'am. No matter what selfish reasons you have."

Lisa Hayes was not known to make many rash decisions in her life, nor was she used to being called selfish. Her green eyes blazed with hatred from his words, what she felt was nothing more than a slap in the face, and sent it in it's most potent form at the young dark haired man before her.

"I don't need some cocky flyboy with an ego the size of Mount Everest lecturing me about my choices." She seethed, venom dripping from her every word. "I don't care for nor do I need your acceptance. You can just leave Sergeant. Leave now and I'll forget about sending you up for a court martial for disobeying a superior officer."

The full fury in her tone made the normally determined Rick Hunter take a step back in shock, his mind trying to make sense of what was going on. Shouldn't she be grateful he had saved her? From what he had seen, she had looked trapped in the room at the time and he hadn't really noticed or cared about her seeming desire to stay. He'd thought she was merely being too pessimistic about the chance of survival. But his mind, reanalyzing the whole chain of events from the very start of this trip, Rick came to a realization that made her seem so much more human to him. In that moment, when everything seemed to click, he figured out why she was always so pushy, uptight, and stand offish to everyone. It was a defense for her, one he was all too painfully aware of and understood. It surprised him that he had not noticed it.

"You lost someone on Mars during the last war, didn't you?" His voice, normally loud and cheerful, was now subdued and somber, his eyes never leaving the woman across from him.

"It's none of your business, Sergeant. I suggest you leave me alone."

Rick sighed and headed for the hatch, but not before taking one last look at her, understanding written across his features.

"You know...if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." He offered.

"Leave!" She screamed at him.

Rick gave a short nod and stepped through the hatch, intent on returning to the barracks to change into his duty uniform. Neither he nor Lisa had noticed a third figure watching the incident with interest. Using a grace that was belied by his tall and lanky frame, the six foot four tall leader of Skull Squadron stepped over to Lisa's position and leaned against the railing that wrapped around the platform. Lisa gave him a heated glare, warning him to keep his mouth shut, but Roy Fokker shook his head at her, his face serious. Normally, he'd be giving that damned cocky, devil may care grin, but at the moment, his visage was set in a serious tone and his eyes seemed to bore into her.

"If you're going to Court Martial Rick, you know I'll be submitting the communication records as well." He warned. "I know what was said between you two down there." He finished with a gesture in the direction of Mars.

Lisa huffed and turned away, turning her gaze back out to the stars as Mars was now just a tiny speck that she would have to strain her eyes to see. She felt embarrassment creep into her mind at what Roy had said. She knew what would happen should those logs get out and she truly had no desire to court martial Rick. She just wanted him to leave and the threat seemed like a good way to force him to disappear. And she was already aware that Roy would have known. It was part of his job as a squadron leader that he had access to the com channels of his pilots, even if they were on a private link.

"I don't intend to, Commander Fokker. Please leave me alone." She stated with an icy tone and a glare to match.

Roy, in the past, would have done as she asked, shrugging the whole way out. But this time, he remained right where he was, his eyes taking on a more thoughtful gaze.

"You know," He began, keeping his gaze on her. "You're not the only one who lost someone they love on Mars. There is a reason Rick offered you his ear to listen. He's a lot like you actually."

Despite not wanting to hear anything more about that damned pilot, Lisa couldn't help but feel her curiosity become aroused at what he had said. She looked back to Roy, who was staring out the window with a far off and pained expression.

"Rick hasn't been honest about his family. He had an older brother that was in the UN Marine Corps during the war." Roy began explaining, his voice calm yet a saddened tone clear to any who heard. " You know that I was adopted by Rick's Dad. We grew up together, as close as any brothers could be. Jack and I were about the same age when the Global Civil War kicked off. Practically joined the same day, the both of us. I remember Rick whined that he couldn't come with us. It was an alien concept to him that he wouldn't have us around for possible years at a time."

Lisa knew she should stop him, tell him she didn't care about what ever it was that had happened to Rick, but a smaller part of her that grew in strength by the passing second, demanded that she at least hear out what the tall blonde man had to say about the cocky hotshot that was a mystery to her.

"I remember when we told Pop. Boy he was not thrilled we'd joined." He sighed and continued. "I had been stationed on the _Enterprise_ while Jack got orders for Mars. He was there when Anti UN forces attacked and he didn't make it. He'd stayed behind, holding off the enemy ground forces while they tried to evacuate. He died in vain. After that...Rick grew to despise the Military, blaming them for the death of his brother. It got so bad, that he and I even ended up in a fist fight over the subject. You can't imagine how proud of him I was when he told me he was going to join the RDF or how touched I was that he took the time to apologize for blaming me for Jack's death." He paused, a look of guilt flashed across his eyes. "I admit, I often wonder if it was my fault he joined anyway."

Seeing this vulnerable side of the normally cheery and joking man was unnerving enough to completely blow away the storm that had settled into Lisa. Feelings of guilt and shame steadily replaced those of righteous anger and loathing.

"I can tell you right now that Rick fully understands what you're going through. Mars is a painful reminder to both of you. Only difference is, Rick has laid the past to rest and is living for the future, while you, Commander Hayes, have tied it around your neck with the goal to hang yourself from a sturdy branch."

His words cut into her mind, bringing about a change in her thoughts. And a sudden realization that he was correct. She had been living in the past these four years, refusing to open herself up least she loses someone close to her again. And she now owed an apology to the young Rick Hunter. From what Roy just told her, he was far wiser than she had thought that he was. She let out an explosive sigh, feeling her anger vanish at the young pilot, as she wiped her eyes and rose to her full height, her eyes red and puffy.

"Alright Commander Fokker. You've made your point. I'll be returning to the bridge." Her stubborn nature taking hold once more.

"Medical first Lisa. Captain's orders."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick found himself standing in the Captain's office after the man had called for him. He wondered just what he'd done so wrong that the Captain asked him to report to the bridge while he was headed to his barracks. Before him sat the thoughtful Russian, the man who had fought with such ferocity to get them all back home. The dark eyes seemed to be looking deep into Rick's soul and made him even more uncomfortable. After several seconds of silence, the Captain spoke, his even and commanding voice bringing Rick back to reality.

"I wish to congratulate you on your successful mission Sergeant. You have done a great service to this ship by saving Commander Hayes from an untimely death." The man began, his dark eyes appraising the young Sergeant before him.

 _"Untimely, right."_ Rick mentally snorted.

The Captain paused, glancing at the closed hatch, before retrieving his pipe from his jacket. Rick fought to keep amusement off his face, watching the Captain sneaking looks toward the hatch as he quickly packed the wooden pipe and lighting it. The calming fragrance of the pipe tobacco filled the room as the Captain took a few puffs. Rick had heard from a few of the guys how often the little blonde on the bridge, Sammie if memory served, would berate the Captain if he tried to smoke outside of designated areas. Rick held back a chuckle as the man before him relaxed, savoring the flavor of his one guilty pleasure.

"On a more personal note, I want to extend my personal and heart felt gratitude as well. I have become very fond of all my crew and view each and everyone of you as my family." He paused for a moment, allowing it to sink in. "Lisa has become something of a daughter to me, and to lose her would have been a painful experience for me to go through. Not to mention, I am quite sure Lisa's father, Admiral Hayes, would be just as grateful to you, if not more so." He commented, taking a second drag on the wooden pipe.

Rick gulped at remembrance that Roy had told him about Lisa being the daughter of the UN Spacy Fleet Admiral. A man who he would very much like to stay on the good side of. The Captain's eyes hardened before he spoke again.

"Now officially, I know you have reported no complications to the rescue, baring the one exception of the wall you had to punch through to retrieve her from the room she had inadvertently became trapped in." He began, and Rick could hear the unsaid but coming. Rick nodded, his conversation with Lisa replaying in his mind. He really didn't think the Captain needed to know that he had bent the truth a little.

"Unofficially, I must bring forth my suspicions that Lisa refused to leave Sara Base."

Henry left out the fact that he knew full well she had, understanding why the pilot hadn't said anything. He feared that any trip to Mars would only end in disaster and heartache for her and allowing her to go off alone to find out why the computers in the base had powered up had been against his better judgement, but the task needed to be done. He had hoped beyond hope that she would not allow her past to make her take leave of her duties and obligations. It had seemed that hope had held until she found the room of her long dead fiance, Karl Riber. His first fear when she hadn't answered his calls after the base began locking down were that she had been injured some how. But finding out Lisa had been physically unharmed and had merely ignored them had disappointed Captain Gloval. He had wanted to hug Rick Hunter who had defiantly told her he wasn't leaving with out her and physically pulled her from the room despite her direct order for him to leave her to the fate she wanted, and instead brought her home, kicking and screaming the whole way. He kept his gaze upon the young man, waiting his answer he was clearly thinking over.

"Sir, if the Commander had refused, it would have been in my report. And with respect Captain, she's back on the SDF-1 so it's a moot point in my opinion." Rick stated calmly, yet on the inside he felt guilty for lying to the man before him.

Inwardly, Henry smiled at the protective tone in the young man's voice. He was willing to keep what had happened a secret and to protect Lisa from any repercussions. At least, he would have if Henry didn't already know the truth. Outwardly, he nodded his understanding of the young man's statement. He rose from his seat and extended his hand to Rick, the young man clasping his hand with Henry's.

"Very well, you are dismissed. And once more, excellent work Sergeant. You've made us all proud with your dedication to your comrades."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa sighed once more as she waited patiently for the results of her check up were processed. It had been over an hour since she had reported to the infirmary and in that time, she had berated herself for allowing the situation on Mars to spin so horribly out of control. Finding a survivor? Some one who, despite having a working com array, had not attempted to contact the UN? She realized now what a fool she had been. She had so desperately wanted it to be Karl, some how having lived, waiting for her. Logically, her keen mind had known it was impossible and that he was dead. But her heart which had overridden her mind, demanded she find him. And now, now with it once more broken as Sara base was nothing more than another crater putting an end to her foolish hope, she found herself ashamed at her actions, at her world class stubborn streak. She was so engrossed in beating herself up, she hadn't noticed the door to her room had opened.

"I hope I am not interrupting Lisa." A deep voice sounded, breaking her from her thoughts.

Her head snapped to the door and saw the tall form of Captain Henry Gloval entering and setting himself down in the chair beside her. She could see the disappointed look in his eyes as he merely looked at her, deciding on how to start. He knew just what she had attempted and it made her feel even more disgusted in herself.

"Not at all sir. I suppose I have some explaining to do." She meekly stated, her shame bubbling to the surface.

"Yes. You do. But not before I speak." He took his cover off and held it loosely in his hands, sighing. "Lisa, I can not begin to describe how disappointed I am in you and the actions you took on Mars. It was against my better judgment to send you, despite knowing what could happen. Yet I trusted that you would not allow yourself to become blinded by your past, but you did exactly what I had feared you would. You were very foolish Lisa, and you could have cost the life of one of our pilots with your selfish actions." He scolded. "You ignored our calls and you refused to let Sergeant Hunter save you. If it wasn't for his habit of doing what was right despite orders to the contrary, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Lisa hung her head, the Captain's disapproval in her for her actions stinging deeper than even her own shame.

"I take it Sergeant Hunter informed you of what happened?" She asked quietly, bracing herself.

Her gaze snapped back to the Captain with amazement when he said Rick had refused to.

"He did not say anything. Only that it was a moot point as you were already back on the SDF-1." Henry sighed. "Lisa, I know how hard it can be to move on from the loss of a loved one. It is the sad truth that comes with wearing the uniform. You must let the past stay in the past Lisa. You must move on." He urged.

Lisa felt tears well up as she looked up to the Captain, someone who had been there for all of them since this whole roller coaster ride had started.

"I-I know sir. And I'm sorry I let you down. It won't happen again." She promised, her tone carrying the full weight of her shame. And Henry believed her. He could see it in her very soul that Lisa had learned the hardest lesson one could learn. One that no matter how many times someone said it, required you to actually experience it to gain full understanding. He nodded sharply and rose to his feet as Doctor Jean Grant entered the room with her test results for Lisa.

"I know you won't Commander. Take the rest of the day off and return to duty first thing in the morning."

He turned but spotted the stern look Jean was giving him, making him stop short. Maybe he should have phrased his last statement differently.

"With respect Captain, I'm fairly sure it's _my_ job to decided if and when my patient can return to duty." The young woman teased, making Lisa smile and the Captain to pull his cover down in embarrassment.

"Of course Doctor. My apologies." Yes, should have phrased it differently indeed.

"That reminds me Captain, your annual physical is coming up soon."

Captain Gloval made himself scarce fairly quickly at her statement, much to the amusement of the two women. Lisa looked to the dark skinned woman who was shaking her head in an amused fashion.

"Big tough men always running when the word physical is brought up." She chuckled before turning to the green eyed woman before her. "But I agree with his recommendation. You're perfectly fine and can return to duty first thing tomorrow Lisa."

The Commander gave the Doctor a small smile and a thanks before leaving. She really didn't know what she was going to do with herself, but she knew that she needed to eventually track down a certain Sergeant to apologize for her behavior earlier.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Why him?"

It was one week after the disaster that was Sara Base and Lisa was staring disbelievingly at the promotion list before her. Claudia wanted to roll her eyes at her friend for what could have been confused as a whine, which in reality it was. The dark skinned beauty instead let a sly smirk grace her features.

"Well it might have had something to do with swooping down and saving a damsel in distress." She stated in mock thoughtfulness.

Lisa only scowled at her best friend as the other three girls began to giggle. But when she thought on what Claudia had stated, Lisa felt her eyes go wide in realization before she cursed herself.

"So I'm the reason this boy is being promoted." Her glum tone carrying fairly well across the bridge. She already found it hard enough to deal with him with out the nervous butterflies, but she had yet to seek him out and tell him she was sorry for blowing up on him after he had put his life at risk to save her.

"Oh I wouldn't call Hunter a boy. More like hunk" Vanessa whispered to her friends, a dreamy look crossed her features.

Sammie nodded in agreement while Kim gave a coy smirk.

"He is rather cute isn't he?"

"MmHmm...He has become a very attractive man."

Lisa could hear the Trio, or as known by the rest of the ship as the bridge bunnies, talking among themselves and found herself grudgingly agreeing with their sentiments. Rick Hunter had indeed come a long way from loud mouthed teen ruled by his smart mouth, to the rather polished and responsible man he know was. And, again with a grudging agreement, was a roguishly handsome young man. Her scowl remained as she looked through the rest of the list before setting it aside and went about the rest of her duties, her crew mates highly amused at her reactions.

"It's not that bad Lisa." Claudia tired to stifle her amusement at her best friend. "Rick's a good guy and Roy has said he is one of the best pilots we have. Except him of course."

"I suppose it could be worse. He's not as bad as he used to be." Lisa agreed with some reluctance, checking over her console display. Claudia took a moment to look over at her friend as an idea began to form in her head and she had to fight down the urge to smile like a fox. Maybe a certain new officer could help Lisa to finally get over that invisible line that Claudia had tried to push her friend to cross. Only time would tell.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick slammed his head onto the table, letting out a frustrated sigh. When Rick had found out he was getting bumped straight up the chain to an officer, he'd been ecstatic. That had changed when Roy had introduced him to his new subordinates. The two, a blue haired bespectacled kid named Max Sterling, and a motor mouth that was far more cheerful than anyone Rick knew named Ben Dixon, seemed decent enough. Rick was now responsible for the two nuggets and the headache as he looked over their flight reports had only begun to flare up. Max was apparently a prodigy while Ben...well Ben didn't lack for enthusiasm. He almost missed the sounds of woman's heels coming his direction.

"Trouble Lieutenant?" A familiar voice asked with a hint of humor.

Rick raised his head and spotted Commander Hayes giving him a questioning, if partly amused look. He quickly shook his head and offered her the spot across from him. The small restaurant across from the White Dragon didn't have a very large gathering in it as most of the RDF personnel seemed to prefer the Chinese Restaurant rather than the Italian one he was at.

"I guess you could say that. Roy has seen fit to put two unfortunate nuggets under my care." He muttered, straightening the stack of paperwork he had on them. "Wonder who they pissed off.

Lisa raised one elegant eyebrow at him, a smirk crossing her face.

"Why if I didn't know any better, I'd think the Ace before me has admitted to being in over his head."

Rick gave a small chuckle before he answered.

"I have a tough enough time with keeping myself out of trouble and off your radar Commander. Hey, congratulations on your promotion by the way." Referring to her promotion to full Commander.

Lisa gave him a smile and a nod in thanks as the waiter came over to ask if she wanted anything. She opened her mouth to tell him it was a separate order when Rick stopped her with a short wave of his hand.

"Go ahead and get something Commander, my treat. Think of it as my way of apologizing after realizing what a headache I must have been in the beginning." He muttered something that sounded like Dixon to her.

She eyed him carefully for a moment before submitting to his suggestion and ordered a simple plate of her favorite spaghetti bolognese, a dish she had discovered when at the academy and fallen in love with. She studied the young man before her as his gaze drifted to the White Dragon and saw the flash of pain on his face. Lisa took a snuck a quick glance herself and saw a pretty young woman with her dark hair done up in a traditional Chinese style laughing with a few men in uniform and guessed what was wrong.

"Women troubles as well I see." She stated calmly, knowing just how much pain it was to lose someone.

Rick gave a mirthless snort.

"Not how you'd think." He told her, his blue eyes holding a flicker of sadness. "Minmei was someone I had a crush on. I've realized that she's not my type."

"Really? How so?" Lisa was quite curious in this turn of events and knowing this was a good chance to learn more about this young man.

"She's too...out there you know? She'll ask my opinion, and tune out the parts she doesn't want to hear. And she can be a little...self centered, like she expects the world to revolve around her." Rick elaborated. She could grow out of it, not to mention she thinks I'm an immature guy."

Lisa found herself very curious about this and asked him how he knew or if Minmei, the girl across the street, had told him.

"You could say that. I overheard her a few weeks ago talking to a friend of her's." He told her, his mind flashing back to that day...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So where is your cute boyfriend Minmei? Is he out on patrol?"

Rick froze, his hand raised to knock on her door. He'd stopped by to ask her if she wanted to go out tonight and hadn't realized she had company over. Instead of making his presence known, he decided to listen to Minmei's response. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't insanely curious about her feelings to him. Not knowing was tearing at him and made it hard for him to concentrate on his duties on a day to day basis, something Roy had commented on just this morning.

"Oh Rick's not my boyfriend." He heard her delicate voice clearly despite the door being closed. "I mean he is cute but he's not really my type. And I really don't know where he is."

"What do you mean? He looks so dreamy in that uniform of his." The other voice commented. "How can a man in uniform not be your type?"

"Well I suppose he is." Minmei had conceded to her friend. "It's just...I prefer older, more mature guys. Rick is great and all, but he acts too much like a big kid. Always playing with model planes. He just doesn't act like a grown up." Her tone became disapproving as she explained why to her friend.

"And you do?" Her friend had teased.

Rick didn't hear Minmei's retort, as hearing her words had crushed him. He turned and hurried back out of the restaurant, barely uttering a good bye to the two people that had given him a place to stay after the fold from the goodness of their hearts. Did she really think that about him? The dejected look on his face spoke volumes as his feet traced a path to the nearby park, one he had frequented with Minmei when he was trying to win her heart. His mind began going over what she had said and he hadn't noticed a shadow appear joining his.

"Well I didn't expect to see you here alone. Where is your little girlfriend?" A musical voice asked.

Rick looked over and saw Claudia Grant, a woman who was well on her way to becoming his sister-in-law and felt hot tears stinging his eyes. Claudia noticed this and her expression went from playful to concerned.

"Rick? What happened sweetie?" She asked with concern as she sat down beside the heartbroken young man.

And it all came out. He told the woman who he viewed as a big sister everything he had just learned, letting his pain pour out. Claudia pulled Rick into a comforting hug as he wiped a few tears that managed to fall down his face.

"It's okay honey. It just means she's not right for you." She told him gently. "So what if you like to have fun with your models? Roy is just as bad and I love him just the same. It shows me that despite the big goof acting like a kid, he'll be a great father some day." She stated with a loving smile as her thoughts turned to her blonde haired paramour.

Rick gave a grin at the mention of Roy playing with models. It was where he had gotten it from and he suspected that trait would be passed to the next Fokker. He pulled away from Claudia's embrace and turned his gaze back towards the city, his sadness still prevalent on his face, though a more thoughtful oook seemed to be taking his in his eyes.

"So you don't think I should stop?" His question also asking about his tendency of acting like a kid at times.

"Rick, let me give you some advice as a woman, alright?" She waited for him to look back to her. "You need to find someone who can accept you for who and what you are. You're a growing into a fine man Rick Hunter, so don't let some shallow child tell you otherwise." She told him sternly, making a mental note to talk to Roy about this latest development.

Rick ducked his head down, his cheeks red from Claudia's praise, but she wasn't done yet. Perhaps he needed to have his eyes opened to another, more possible match. She hoped that he caught her hints, but with how hard the boy's head was, it might go over his head.

"It seems to me, you need to find someone who is more mature and knows a good thing when she sees it. Someone who understands heartbreak. Someone you can trust fully and who'll appreciate you for being you. Models included." She teased.

Rick laughed, feeling better from what Claudia had said and gave her a playful smile.

"Unfortunately Roy already snagged her!" He joked back, making her laugh as she knew he didn't mean anything behind it. "It's just...not many woman around her strike me as that level headed."

"Who knows Rick? You might have already met the one you'll end up with. Maybe even a superior officer." Claudia hinted. Rick gave a laugh and thanked the woman for talking to him. The dark skinned beauty gave him a small hug before leaving with a final few words.

"You just remember what I said Little Brother. And don't forget, you can always talk to me or Roy if you need to."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick finished his tale as he sipped at his water. Lisa nodded in understanding, her heart going out to the young man as that was a pain like no other. Caring about someone and wanting to take the next step only to find out the other person didn't feel the same. She did fully agree with Claudia's words of wisdom.

"Well she is right." Lisa stated as the waiter arrived with the food they had ordered. "You need to find someone who'll encourage you, not try to change you. Besides, it's kind of cute to think of you playing with model planes." She teased, surprised at herself as she realized how comfortable she was starting to feel around the young man.

Rick gave a short laugh with a small blush on his face before he responded.

"Yeah. It took me a while to come to terms with it, and to be honest, Minmei hasn't made any comment or tried to find out why I haven't been hanging around her as often as I used to. It's actually been easier for me to concentrate on my duties come to think of it." He commented before taking a fork full of his cheese manicotti.

Lisa nodded in understanding, savoring the taste of her pasta.

"Yes it would. Heartache doesn't really help with any job really." She paused, feeling slightly embarrassed before speaking as this was as good a time as any to apologize for her behavior last week. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for rescuing me Lieutenant. I was out of line with you and I shouldn't have said what I did."

Rick waved it off before giving her a small understanding smile. He had an idea of just what she had been feeling and figured that he might have done the same thing himself had the roles been reversed.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I lost my brother at Sara Base so I know how you felt being there. I guess whoever it was you lost there was pretty important, huh Commander?" Rick asked before mentally kicking himself. "Sorry Commander, it's none of my business." He hastily apologized.

"It's fine Lieutenant." She told him, seeing his unease at the topic. "The person I lost was my fiancee. So as you can understand, it reopened an old wound that had never truly healed."

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense." He mused, taking a drink from his glass of water. "I wasn't too happy with being there myself but we did need those supplies."

"We did indeed. And it's gone along way to helping ensure our survival until we get back to Earth."

The pair feel into an easy rapport, talking about the latest news around the fortress or talking briefly about their pasts and the shared pain that Mars held for them both. Lisa found herself enjoying the young Lieutenant's company and Rick learned that the Ice Queen of the bridge wasn't as cold as she appeared to be. He noted with a surprising sense of disappointment, that it had gotten late and they'd need to part ways soon. They had long ago finished their meal and had simply spent the last hour just talking. Lisa had quickly realized this as well and began to call for the check when Rick stopped her.

"I told you earlier Commander, it's on me." He gave her a grin.

Lisa shook her head in amusement as the waiter brought over the check and handed it to Rick.

"Very well Lieutenant." She smiled. "I'll let you cover it this time. And as much fun as this has been, I need to get back to my quarters. It's been a long day."

The pair headed to the cashier and Rick paid for the meal before they headed out the door.

"No argument there. I'll see you later Commander." Rick gave her a wave and started toward the barracks.

"Lieutenant." Lisa called out to him.

Rick turned around, a questioning look on his face as Lisa wrung her hands behind her back and a sudden shy look appeared on her face. Her stomach fluttered in nerves. She tired to fight down the shyness she seemed to have suddenly developed. Why should she suddenly be feeling this nervous?

"When I'm off duty, you can call me Lisa, alright? We're both officers now so I see no harm in it." She told him, trying hard to keep her voice calm and level, hoping it didn't carry any trace of her sudden bashfulness at what was merely a friendly gesture.

"Oh, uh yeah sure!" Rick replied, hand scratching the back of his head. "Call me Rick then. After all, calling me by rank makes me think I did something stupid. Well, more so than usual."

Lisa gave a small laugh and wished him a good night before turning and flagging down a cab to take her to the nearest lift that would take her back home. Neither of the two had noticed a couple sitting in a secluded spot outside that had seen everything play out. Roy Fokker smiled as he took a drag on his smoke while Claudia had a sly grin on her face. Both of them had been surprised by what they had witnessed, but were happy by the outcome.

"Well now, it looks like our favorite controller has softened up to my little brother." He noted with amusement.

"Sure looks that way Flyboy." Claudia agreed. "Think anything will come of it?"

Roy gave a cocky grin that made her heart beat just a bit faster. Damn him!

"You already know what I think." He told her. "I just can't believe how much Rick has grown up in these past few weeks. And at least I know the reason now."

"Well I'm just glad that Lisa seems to finally be closing the door on her past. She needs some happiness in her life and I think Rick could be the one to help her find it." She said before leaning her head against Roy's shoulders. "Take me home Flyboy. I think I need some love from my own Ace."

Roy's laugh was all the answer he gave before the two headed off for Claudia's quarters.

* * *

 **A/N 20170104: Minor spelling errors corrected. Some dialogue changes, smoothed out a few rough spots in the story.**


	2. Chapter 2 Mixed Feelings

**Okay, so for anyone who is reading my fallout 4 story, know I haven't given up, but I damn near burned myself on the games and research, attempting to get the lore correct, so I've decided to take a break. Besides, 37K words in a week and a half is a lot of writing and gaming. So, I switched track temporary and am putting up this story for Robotech/Macross that I literally have had in a notebook since I was in middle school! Sad fact is there are pages missing and some of the writing is illegible even to me. It's a fifteen year old note book with childish scribbles all over it so sue me, Obviously I'm having to update the writing to my current skill level so it's taking some time, and considering I had stopped writing it just before Rick had saved Lisa from Alaska Base. Well, damn near fifteen years after writing it (And I was really surprised to find it!), it is now seeing the light of day. So sit back, relax and enjoy the next exciting chapter of Robotech!**

Chapter 2

The day started out like any other for one Rick Hunter. The young man had been with his new wingmen for the past several days, working on team building exercises and mock dogfights to try to help sand away their rough edges. Most of the time, they did very well in basic combat maneuvers and even some of the more advanced ones with the other modes of the Veritech. But Rick's biggest headache came from Ben Dixon. It wasn't that the kid was horrible, far from it. He was actually pretty good. No, the problem with Corporal Dixon was his tendency to get in over his head really quick due to his gungho attitude. But try as he might, he just couldn't stay mad at the guy. Not when he was trying to hard. And Rick could sympathize with him as it wasn't easy to change overnight into a sharp and professional military Pilot. No, unfortunately, it would take his first and hopefully not last combat sortie to finally hammer home the finesse Rick was now working to help them gain. The young man shook his head and began to aimlessly wander through the streets, idly glancing into shop windows as he tried to find someway to relax on his day off. It seemed much harder for him to deal with any down time than it was when he was on duty. A wistful grin crossed his face as he considered breaking his remote control planes out in the park. That could be fun. After all, Claudia did tell him to just be himself and that the right person would come along that would find that hobby of his adorable.

His grin slow faded as his mind tracked back to his impromptu dinner date with Commander Hayes, bringing a frown to replace the smile that had been there moments ago. To say he had been pleasantly surprised and grateful for her apology was an understatement. He had expected a cold shoulder from her for some time and instead to have her warm up to him, well it was a very interesting evening. But she had told him she thought Rick playing with models was cute. Maybe...no, she could have just been humoring him. No use reading too much into what was probably just a kind statement to put his mind at ease. Besides, she was his superior officer and he figured that she had better prospects than him anyway. That thought though seemed to depress him so for a few seconds before he dropped the train of thought, and luckily, or unluckily depending on your opinion, he bumped into Miss Lynn Minmei. Rick stifled a groan, not feeling like dealing with the air headed teen but forced a smile on his face just to be polite. The girl blinked in surprise before giving him a friendly smile.

"Oh hey Rick! I haven't seen you at the restaurant in a while."

"Oh well, you know, it's been crazy these last few weeks. Most of my time off is spent doing paperwork now and making sure my two wingmen stay out of trouble!" Rick joked, though knowing it was only one that would cause trouble taking the other along for the ride.

Minmei paused in confusion before she noticed the new rank insignia on his collar. She squealed happily at him, causing him to wince from the high pitched sound.

"Oh you got promoted to an officer! Congratulations Rick!" She jumped up on him and pulled him into a hug, leaving him to laugh awkwardly. She let go and looked at the ground with a blush. "Sorry about that Rick. I'm just so happy for you!"

Rick gave her a thankful smile.

"I appreciate it Minmei. And I'm sorry I haven't been by the White Dragon in a few weeks. You understand right?"

She nodded her head quickly.

"Of course I do! Oh by the way!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up. "Did you hear about the Miss Macross Competition? I'm going to enter!"

 _"Oh great. So she probably wants me to be there for her moral support just to run off into fame and fortune and leave me in the dust. Damn, I've become a pessimist."_ He thought, keeping his mixed feelings on the subject off his face. Instead, he gave a cheery smile.

"Well that's great Minmei! I'm sure you'll do great." _"Someone please save me from this conversation!"_ He mentally pleaded.

"Thanks Rick. That means a lot to me." She demurely replied with a small blush. "You'll be voting for me right?"

Rick opened his mouth to answer in a way that would get him clear and away from Minmei, but the voice of his new favorite person cut over the noise of the crowd.

"Hey Skipper!"

Rick had to fight hard to keep the look gratitude off his face as he turned and spotted Max coming his way. Someone must have heard his prayer. Rick quickly formulated an idea and gave Minmei his best sorrowful look.

"I'm sorry Minmei, but can we talk later? I need to meet up with my men today." He was quite proud of the lie he had fabricated as he had no such plans in place and manged to keep his voice from betraying him. He'd need to find some way to thank Max for his unintentional rescue.

Minmei smiled and nodded.

"That's okay Rick. I need to get some shopping done anyway so I'll see you around!" She waved goodbye to him and hurried off.

Max stepped up next to Rick and looked towards the rapidly retreating form of Minmei with confusion.

"Is it something I said?" He wondered why the girl had left so fast.

Rick gave a short laugh, clasping his hand on Max's shoulder.

"Maybe it's your face." he joked.

Max grinned before he began rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well I am the best looking pilot here." He responded nonchalantly making Rick laugh with amusement. "I didn't mean to interrupt you two but didn't want to pass by with out saying hello."

"It's fine Max. Minmei likes to talk a lot anyway, so I try to find ways to keep the conversations short."

"So you avoid her?" Max asked, surprised. "I thought she was your girl. I'm sorry Skipper. Not my place to ask that." He finished sheepishly.

"It's fine. And no. She's not." Rick suddenly let a smirk cross his face. "Maybe we should introduce her and Ben!"

"Well it would work to help keep his mouth in check." Max joked and the pair headed off towards the base. "You hear about the pageant Lieutenant?"

"You could say that. Minmei would have talked my ear off all day about it until you rescued me."

"Just don't expect me to kiss you Skipper. I only love you as a friend." He told him with an amused expression.

They both laughed in response to Max's statement.

"Well that's a relief. I was worried there for a second." Rick chuckled. "I wonder if anyone we know will join." He mused.

"From what I heard, some of the other pilots think one of the bridge officers will at least."

Rick took a thoughtful expression as he pulled up the five women in his mind, thinking over who had the best chance of winning. Claudia could stand a chance, but despite her outgoing nature, he knew she would probably refrain from it. Roy would probably kill anyone who looked at her in a bikini. Sammie might stand a good chance. She had a naive air about her, despite being anything but, that made her seem adorable. Kim would jump at the chance as would Vanessa, but he really didn't see them as winning against Minmei if she was to be the barometer for an average contestant. His mind pulled up Lisa at the end, and found himself thinking she had a very good chance. She had a confident air about her, but not too over bearing, and that had made her an excellent officer. The fact she was very cool and level headed when needed be were also good points towards her chances of winning. She had a classic beauty about her that would turn many heads, especially as he had seen her out of uniform before and she always found ways to accent, yet so contradictory, hide her looks at the same time. And her eyes were truly her best feature as they always reflected her mood perfectly. Whether they be a burning dark green when he pissed her off, which he was happy to say was happening less and less, to the sparkling amused gleam he had recently began to see during the times they talked. It also helped she took great strides to stay in fighting form too.

"Skipper!" Max called out in warning, but it was too late.

Rick had been so engrossed his his thoughts on Lisa that he had walked right into one of the lamp posts. The Ace pilot felt like an idiot as he stumbled back, rubbing his forehead from where it had impacted the cold hard metal. Max watched in amusement as Rick let out a small stream of curses that caused many mothers to usher their children away from him with disapproving looks on their faces. The cursing lasted mere seconds before Rick sent a small glare at Max, who merely raised his hands in defense.

"Sorry Skipper. I didn't think you'd be so wrapped up in your thoughts that you'd walk into a pole. What were you thinking so hard about anyway?"

The two continued on as Rick answered, the embarrassment of the incident making his face redden a shade. It surely wouldn't be from his thoughts about his superior. Yes, it was the lamp post that made him feel so embarrassed as he answered.

"I was thinking about which officer would stand a good chance at winning if they entered." He stated slowly.

"So who is it?" Max gave him an expectant look, his cool blue eyes conveyed his curiosity in what his flight lead was thinking.

"Well out of all of them, I think Commander Hayes could win if she entered. She really would have the best shot at it."

Max's look changed into a smirk as they passed several small shops selling all kinds of merchandise. Rick saw his smirk and frowned, thinking about what must be passing through the blue haired man's mind.

"Don't even consider it Max." Rick warned. "Don't read into what's not there."

Max didn't look convinced, but dropped the subject regardless.

"What ever you say Lieutenant." His face becoming thoughtful. "Though I can see your reasoning. The Commander would be the best one."

"The best one to what Corporal?"

Both men froze in their steps and turned to see the grinning and way too cheery face of one Roy Fokker. The man had been following them since he spotted Rick get into that short scuffle with the lamp post and had planned to tease the hell out of him about his walking skills, but that had changed when a certain name had issued from the mouth of his little brother. Max was the first to recover and greeted him, while Rick's face seemed to take on a rather interesting look of embarrassment and hesitation at Roy's question.

"Oh, it's nothing sir. Merely talking about who would be a good choice to enter the pageant."

"So you think Claudia huh? Well I admit I may be biased, but she is the most beautiful woman on the ship. Smartest one too!" Roy ended with a laugh.

"No. Commander Hayes is." Rick spouted out with out thinking.

Roy and Max both took on surprised expressions at Ricks statement, with Roy's jaw hanging open. His mind processed what had just been said and closed his mouth, hand raised both to defend the honor of his lady, and the other in pure shock. Rick for his part went wide eyed as he caught what he had said, his face heating up so quick he wondered why it didn't melt down, and his hand flew to cover his mouth least he dig himself deeper in the hole of torment that was Roy Fokker. Max was just surprised at how this had gone, his eyes showing shock as well. It was several seconds later that Roy was about to compose himself and the biggest, teasing grin that had no right to be worn by a human appeared.

"Well Rick old buddy...The Commander huh?" He grinned evilly as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well now she is rather cute, but we both know My Claudia has better eyes." Roy baited, enjoying the pure look of defiance on Rick's face.

He may have matured, but a young man in love was always easy to tease and bring his thoughts to the surface. And he also enjoyed verbal spats with his little brother, knowing just how to provoke him.

"Claudia may have pretty eyes Rick, but Lisa's are much more beautiful." He gave a frustrated sigh, knowing just where this was going. "Let's just drop it, alright? She's a friend and I am being purely impartial here."

Roy just kept that damned smirk on his face.

"Sure Rick. Whatever you say." He took a thoughtful look before the now trio continued down the road. "I do admit that Lisa would be a good candidate, but I highly doubt she'd compete. It's just not her thing."

The two younger men nodded in agreement, one for the fact that joining would have been far off from her personality, the other as he felt she'd win regardless. It was a very silent trio of pilots that parted ways near the barracks with reminders to report for duty first thing tomorrow.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

On the bridge, Lisa Hayes glanced towards the hatch that Captain Gloval had left through fifteen minutes ago to answer a call from the Civilian Council. It had seemed urgent and she had a feeling it was for the upcoming pageant. Probably something to do with security arrangements to help protect the stadium where it was going to be held.

"So Lisa, you seemed rather cheery the other night. Anything interesting happen?" Claudia asked from her right with a smirk.

Lisa didn't even glance at her and kept her focus on her control board as the CAP began rotating fresh pilots out for a three hours long patrol.

"Nothing happened Claudia. I had a relaxing evening is all."

Claudia gave a knowing look that Lisa spotted out of the corner of her eye and she realized just what her best friend was talking about. She let out a knowing gasp before sending an accusing glare at the woman.

"You were spying on me and Rick at dinner last night weren't you?" Lisa accused, taking leave of the fact that the biggest gossipers were sitting not ten feet away from them.

The Terrible Trios eyes widened as they shared a glance before turning their attention to the developing drama between Commander Hayes and Commander Grant, keen ears seeking any gossip they could gush over for weeks to come. After all, it wasn't every day your normally Ice Queen boss unintentionally admit to spending time with a handsome pilot under her command. Claudia put on an air of innocence, knowing just who was listening.

"I don't spy Lisa and I'm hurt you'd stoop to such a hurtful insult." She sigh dramatically with mock hurt on her face. "If you must know, Roy and I happened to have been across the street at the White Dragon. We didn't hear anything but I must say, that shy good bye you gave him spoke volumes honey." Claudia gave a knowing wink, making Lisa's face redden.

"I didn't...nothing...urgh!" Lisa sputtered, the heat in her cheeks rising.

The Trio behind her giggled at how adorable she looked, causing her to shoot a harsh glare at them that promised unholy pain if they so much as breathed a word that was said between her and Claudia. Sammie gave a surprised yelp at the glare as the Trio as one put their gaze back on their consoles, but keeping their ears tuned to the conversation. Claudia had to cover her mouth completely and was silently laughing at the irritated and embarrassed look on her friend's face. Lisa sent her a threatening look.

"I'm warning you Claudia...drop it or so help me..." Her voice trailed off.

The brown eyed woman just smirked leaving Lisa to believe that Roy Fokker had somehow corrupted the sweet woman she used to know into this tease that now stood before her.

"Or what Commander?" Claudia challenged, still amused at Lisa's reactions. "There is nothing wrong with going after your own flyboy. Besides, Rick would be perfect for you."

Lisa opened her mouth to speak before a familiar and somewhat amused baritone voice made her face go completely pale and her eyes wide in shock.

"Lieutenant Hunter would be a good one to keep you from trouble Commander Hayes."

"Captain! We didn't hear you come in!" Sammie cried out in surprise.

Henry chuckled before taking his seat and steepled his fingers, his amused expression plan as day to all.

"Yes well, this time the infernal hatch did not get the better of me."

This brought about amused looks from all, including Lisa as the tall Russian seemed to be constantly at war with getting onto the bridge with out smacking his head against the archway. After the giggles left the girls, Henry returned his gaze to his display built into his arm rest, nodding in satisfaction before he spoke to his officers.

"As you may have guessed, I just received a rather interesting request from Pageant committee." He began. "They wish to have one of our officers join them for the pageant."

Lisa and the girls all turned to look at the Captain as he tried to word his choice in a way that wouldn't upset any of them.

"Having reflected on it, I have come to the conclusion that you, Commander Hayes would be the best Officer to join them. It is, however, not an order for you to do so, merely a request." He informed her, keeping his unease at asking her off his tanned features.

Lisa, under the assumption he meant as a judge, gave a surprised look.

"I appreciate your faith in me sir, but wouldn't you be the better choice Captain?"

Henry blanched at her words, wondering if she was being serious, making Claudia turn away quickly, her shoulder shaking with laughter and the trio to break out into a massive giggling fit, confusing Lisa even more. Surely it wasn't that funny to think of Captain Gloval as a judge for a beauty Pageant. It's not like he had meant for her to compete. A sudden realization had struck her as he had meant it! Her whole face went bright red before she clasped her hands over her mouth,

"Oh, I'm sorry Captain!" She hastily apologized. "I thought you meant as a judge!"

Lisa was mortified as Captain Gloval let out an embarrassed cough, thinking that perhaps he should have been clearer in his request to her, while Claudia had given up trying to contain her amusement and laughed loudly, joined by the ever giggling Trio. Images had crossed their mind of Captain Gloval walking across stage in a dress and it had snowballed from there, bringing some much needed levity at such a comical mental image.

"Yes well. All is forgiven Commander. It was an honest mistake since I had not made the intention of my request clear." He told her kindly, his composure snapping back into place. "It is up to you if you wish to join and know you will have our full support."

Lisa nodded meekly and turned back to her console, still in embarrassment in what had just transpired. Her gaze landed on her best friend who still had not managed to compose herself from the hilarity of Lisa's slip up.

"Laugh it up Claudia." She muttered in annoyance.

She just wondered why the Captain had asked her to join. It's not like she would even make it past the first round. She just wasn't aware a certain blue eyed pilot thought completely different about her odds.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa sipped her drink miserably, her mind going over the day's events. She still didn't understand why she had been asked to join. She knew she wasn't the most attractive woman on the bridge, nor did she think she had the best figure. All this had done was make her pick at her insecurities and made her feel even more miserable.

"Hey, why so glum kid?"

Lisa looked up at the concerned face of Roy Fokker as he dropped into the chair across from her. She didn't answer, merely turned her gaze to the bill board displaying the announcement for the pageant. Roy followed her look and spotted the same display before looking back to her with a confused look.

"The pageant has you all depressed?" He questioned with a hint of disbelief. "Why?"

She sighed and dropped her eyes back to the table.

"It's nothing Roy." She muttered dejectedly.

"Sounds like a whole lot of something to me." He ventured. "Tell me what's got you looking more depressed than a kid who dropped her ice cream."

The young woman hesitated, not knowing how to begin or even if she should. While Roy did like to tease her mercilessly at times, he also was a very kind person who cared dearly for his friends and family.

"Captain Gloval thinks I should represent the RDF in the Pageant." She glumly stated.

She expected Roy to burst out laughing at the absurd idea and braced herself for the confirmation to all her doubts about her ability to even compete. When it didn't come, she stole a glance at the blonde ace as he had a thoughtful far off look on his face.

"That's actually not a bad idea." He stated calmly, surprising her that it held no teasing tone. "I'd say you have what it takes."

"What do you mean? How? I'm just a boring old sourpuss, remember?" She reminded him dryly.

"Well maybe Rick thought so in the beginning, but you've been letting your hair down recently, so to speak." He began, a kind smile on his face. "And honestly, I think the only person who would win is my lovely Claudia, but as I told Rick earlier, I'm biased there." He chuckled.

"Why? Did Rick tell you who he thought could win?" She asked, surprised she found her self nervous for the coming answer.

Roy gave her a devious smirk, placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back in the chair.

"You could say that." He said ambiguously. "We talked earlier today as a matter of fact after hearing about the pageant."

She waited for him to continue, but the damn goof just smiled like an idiot, or rather someone who knew a juicy secret. Lisa felt her famous temper start to flare up, some of it in frustration, some of it in fear of the answer.

"And? What did he say?" She asked, her annoyance seeping into her tone.

"Uh uh!" Roy wagged his finger at her like she was a child. "It's not what he said, but how he said it." He told her in a sing song voice.

"Never mind then Commander." She snapped, hurt creeping into her being at the thought that maybe her friend, as she thought of Rick, didn't think she could win.

"Well if you want to know, let's ask him." Roy smirked "Hey Rick! Come over here a minute will ya buddy?"

 _"Oh no._ " Lisa thought in fear as said named man came over with a confused expression.

"Hey Roy. Commander Hayes. How are you today?" He asked with a smile and a hand rubbing the back of his head.

Lisa couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face, despite how depressed she had just been.

"I'm fine Rick. And I thought I told you to call me Lisa when we were off duty?" She mentioned with a mock scolding tone.

Rick laughed in nervousness as Roy watched the playful pair, grinning like a maniac on the inside.

"Of course Lisa. Sorry. It's taking some getting used to you know!"

"I bet it does. So, Rick. The Commander her was wanting to know your opinion we talked about earlier today." Roy gave him a knowing smirk. "You know, the one you told me I was wrong about? The one about Claudia and who you think is more beautiful than her?"

Rick's face went bright red as he leveled a dark glare at his older brother. He almost missed the curious and fearful look on Lisa's face. _"Damn you Roy! Why do you have to bring it up!"_ He thought angrily.

"I'm sure she doesn't want to be bothered about the pageant Roy."

Lisa felt her hopes fall to pieces as she took his refusal to answer to mean he thought someone else would win. Maybe that Minmei girl. She was after all, very pretty. Roy noticed the sullen mood and felt like slapping Rick upside the head. The boy was a stubborn as a mule, even refusing to entertain the idea that he liked Lisa as more than a friend. _"Oh Little Bro, you have it bad and you don't even notice it."_

"Well then Rick, does that mean you were wrong earlier about My Claudia being the most beautiful woman on the bridge? I mean, I can understand if aren't confident about it, I can accept that. And I'll forgive you for the slight."

The effect was immediate. He knew just how to fire up his brother. One thing that Roy could say with one hundred percent fact was that Rick was anything but a coward. He always stood by his opinions even if they went against his friends and family.

"Now hold on just a minute Roy! Just because I think Lisa doesn't need to hear my support for her doesn't mean your right." Rick retorted hotly.

Roy spared him a bored glance, but on the inside, laughing at how easy it was to trick Rick into expressing himself.

"So you still think Lisa here is the better choice for the pageant than Claudia?" He asked innocently.

"Of course I do! Lisa could win it!" Rick blurted out.

A moment later, realization creeped across his face and he leveled a dirty glare at Roy, knowing just what he had been doing. Lisa's face had taken on a red hue and her gaze lowered to the table. Rick had mistaken her staring at the table as anger, not as the pleasant surprise it was to her.

"Now you've done it Roy!" He quickly began to sputter out an apology to Lisa who cut him off with a sweet smile.

"It's quite alright. I'm flattered you think so Rick." Her blush visible to him. "And I appreciate your faith in me."

Roy made a discreet exit, feeling like his goal had been accomplished. He and Claudia had been brainstorming on a way to get these two together since they saw them. Some would say they were being pushy and trying to rush the two, but Roy knew that the life of a combat pilot was never a guarantee. Every time they went up, it could be the last time, and he wanted his brother to find some happiness in his dangerous life, something that would always skew the odds in favor of him returning after a mission. And what better incentive than the love of a woman?

"Oh, uh, yeah. No problem Lisa." His eyes lingered nervously on hers. "Are you in the pageant?"

"I haven't decided yet. Captain Gloval only brought the idea up this morning." She explained, keeping the conversation she and Claudia had secret. But she told him about the idea to have an officer to represent the RDF and that she was considering it, failing to mention that just ten minutes ago she was planning to tell the Captain no.

Rick nodded his head, listening along and found himself agreeing with the idea.

"I think it a perfect idea. It'll bring the men and women in uniform a positive image. One that we are still humans, not just machines of war." He told her.

Lisa hadn't thought of that and absent mindedly nodded her agreement.

"You're right. It can only help us if I go through with it." She paused and gave him a demure look. "Do you really think I can do this?"

Rick nodded as his voice refused to work. He was finding it hard to avoid think about how absolutely adorable she was in her shyness. But he found his voice after a few seconds and decided to give her his honest opinion.

"Honestly Lisa, if you don't win, I'll be demanding a immediate recount of the votes and a psyche exam for the judges."

Lisa gave a heart felt laugh and thanked Rick for his support.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The day of the pageant had arrived and Rick found himself that morning in the pilots ready room as Roy briefed them over the plan of the day. It consisted of informing the squadron that they would be posting guard during the ceremony and Rick was surprised to find he and his team had been selected to guard the stadium in case of any alien attack while the rest of them would remain on stand by to assist the CAP in the event of a space battle. Rick found himself very pleased with that as he would be able to see the competition. He did not like the playful smirk on Roy's face however and made his way to his veritech. Initially, he had been surprised about the order, but understood quickly as the enemy had been able to board them before and the lesson they had learned had come at a terrible price. New policy that had come into effect that morning now required at minimum, ten veritechs to be posted in the city in battloid mode to assist the cities garrison of MBR-07 Spartans and other defense forces to help fend off any hostile boarding action, something Rick felt should have been in place long ago. But arrogance in their defenses had scoffed the idea as unnecessary. He cleared his head of those thoughts and began to get him and his team ready for the days events.

In another section of the ship, one Lisa Hayes opened her eyes slowly at a chorus of sharp knocks and thumps coming from her door woke her. The clock on her table's soft lcd glow displayed the time as six thirty, making her wonder if she'd be convicted of murder of who ever had the gull to wake her at this hour on her day off. Groggily, she wrapped herself in her white robe and made her way sleepily towards the door, muttering death threats and court martial before she pulled it open. On the other side of the door stood the cheery form of Claudia Grant holding what amounted to a peace offering in the form of coffee and cinnamon buns.

"Well good morning sunshine!" She greeted, slipping by her friend and into the room.

"How can you be so cheerful at this hour?" Lisa questioned as the door closed with a sharp click.

"Simple. I'm involved with a pilot that gets up at five every morning, You'll understand once you snag yours." She sent her a teasing smirk.

Lisa frowned before she answered, her brain still engaging in the mode know as awake.

"It's too early to even dignify that statement with a response." Lisa muttered, accepting the coffee offered. She sighed in happiness from the hearty aroma and began to sip the drink of the gods.

Claudia laughed as he friend seemed to fall in love with her coffee.

"Well to answer the question I know is coming, I'm came by to help you get ready for the pageant. You do have the 'mission' essential items I got you, right?"

Lisa grumbled her affirmative before attacking the buns Claudia had brought. This merely caused the dark skinned woman to snicker at her friend, who was most certainly not a morning person.

"Well then, once you finish eating, we have a long list of things to do to get you ready."

The defeated groan from the still sleepy Lisa brought a round of laughter from Claudia.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The day passed quickly for some, yet slow as mud for others. Rick found himself anxious as he stepped into the area for the contestants to wait in, looking for one particular woman to give a few final encouraging words too along with the flowers he had brought. He hoped she hadn't backed out at the last minute but from what Claudia had told him a few hours ago, when he'd called to check on Lisa, she'd be there. Now, however, he swept the mostly empty room, trying to find some hint of the young woman. A familiar, and unwelcome voice called out to him, taking his attention away from the door. Minmei was standing in her gown, beaming at Rick. He had to admit, she did look good in her dress, and the girl ran over and threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh Rick! I knew you'd be here to cheer me on!" She smiled warmly at him.

Rick tried to pull back and away from the rather energetic girl, but not appear to be insulting about it.

"Um actually Minmei, I'm-" He began but she cut him off once more, talking up a storm.

"Oh Rick you don't know how happy you made me. Coming back here just to see me! Are those for me?"

Rick felt indignation at what she said. Is she really that conceded that she thinks my world revolves around her? Rick opened his mouth to correct her about his presence and the flowers in his hand, but once more, she just could not keep her mouth closed.

"Thank you for being here for me Rick!" She said before kissing him.

It wasn't one she had done before with a simple peek on the cheek, but a full blown one. Risk felt his temper start to rise at the sheer audacity this ignorant girl had to just attempt to mouth rape him in front of the rapidly filling room.

"Oh dear. Rick."

The disappointed voice of Claudia snapped Minmei out of her kiss, allowing a disgusted Rick to pull away from her. He turned to see Claudia and felt like someone had punched him right in the stomach at the hurt look coming from Lisa and the disappointing stare from Claudia, he quickly raised his hands in defense. He couldn't help but see how beautiful Lisa looked in her emerald green gown with her hair in an elegant fashion that showed off her slim neck and jaw line perfectly.

"This isn't what it looks like!"

"It's fine Lieutenant. You don't need to explain yourself to me. Shouldn't you be standing your post and not seeing your girlfriend?" Lisa asked with the familiar icy tone he'd hated.

"But I...She..." Rick tried to speak, but found himself unable to form a coherent sentence as his mind was still processing what he was seeing.

"Now Lieutenant." She snapped and headed off to her dressing room.

"Oh, was that Commander Hayes? She looks pretty." Minmei asked. "Well I gotta go Rick."

Minmei attempted to kiss him again but shrank away from his heated and angry gaze.

"How dare you!" He snapped angrily. " I can not believe how you just acted. What right did you have to kiss me?"

"I-I thought you wanted me too." She stuttered. "You used to all the time."

"That was the past and well after I heard your little chat about how immature I am. Or did you forget your little chat with your friend about me?"

Mimei should have felt outraged by him eavesdropping on her, but she was scared of this anger he was giving off.

"Well, you were! But you've grown up so much I've decided to give you another chance." She tried to sound cheerful, as if she had just bestowed a great honor upon him. But she began to cower at the sheer cold look on his face as he rose to his full height.

"Another chance?" He spat. "You think I want another chance to be crushed by a shallow girl like you?" He let out a humorless chuckle. "You really are conceded. I stopped caring about what you thought about me long ago. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to tell my friend how proud I am that she's competing and to wish her luck."

Rick turned away from the protesting Minmei and hurried to Claudia who appeared to have heard and understood just what I happened when they had arrived.

"I'll tell her everything Rick." She told him before he could open his mouth. "You just go do your job and I'll handle the fallout from little miss Argonaut's actions and make sure she gets the flowers."

Rick didn't look happy but agreed and left for his Veritech that stood behind the staging area. Claudia made her way into the dressing room and found Lisa smiling at her. It took Cluadia only a second for her own small smile to come into play at her realization. Lisa had clearly heard Rick's deceleration, which shouldn't be surprising as the walls were pretty thin and she looked expectantly at the bundle of roses in Claudia's hand. Commander Grant found herself for once thanking Rick's lack of indoor voice.

"Form Rick."

Lisa accepted the flowers, smiling all the while. She took one look at Claudia and her grin became almost predatory.

"What do you say we go win this thing Claudia?"

Music to her ears.

"Right behind you, Lisa."


	3. Chapter 3 A New Star

**New chapter up. The pace is gonna drop her as there was a lot more damage to the notebook copy than I thought, so trying to reconstruct this and follow my original story line is going cost me time on this. But hey, no biggie. I'm half way through the reconstruction of the next chapter and until I find work again, I have plenty of time for writing. Oh and I kinda forgot a disclaimer: Blah Blah Blah Harmony Gold Owns Robotech blah blah blah I don't own it or the charters.**

Chapter 3

Rick mounted his veritech and sighed in frustration. He was so angry at Minmei and was kicking himself for not considering the young girl would do that. But why should he? He had stopped chasing after her months ago. He'd need to ask Roy about it as he had more experience with the fairer sex. The Massive mecha closed up around him with the smooth sounds of servos and hydraulics once more, not even a hint of the wear and tear this wondrous machine was constantly put through. HE checked his boards, happy to see it was all green and activated his com.

"Vermilion, check in."

"All good here Skipper." Max reported. "I'm on post a few blocks north east with Ben."

"Hey Lieutenant, would it be okay if we watched the show on the Aux?" Ben asked, referring to an auxiliary com panel that normally would have been used in fleet engagements with other friendly ships, but hadn't been used since the SDF-1's over shot it's space fold.

Rick debated whether or not to allow it, but relented as it would allow them to keep the primary lines tuned into command and Rick would be able to easily get a hold of his guys on the team frequency. That and a small part of him admitted that he wanted to see Commander Hayes compete.

"Alright. You can use the Aux to watch it, but first sign of an attack, it gets turned off. Understood?"

"You got it Skipper."

Rick tapped the panel and switched the command line on and waited for Roy to answer, which the blonde ace did seconds after Rick had paged him.

"Skull Leader, this is Vermilion lead. We are in position."

"Roger that vermilion team." Roy took a glance at Rick's image and noticed his irritation. "Hey buddy, what's got you all riled up?" He asked.

"Go button 3 Roy. I'd rather not talk about it over the TACNET."

Roy grimaced, wondering what had happened that Rick wanted to use their own personally encrypted channel to talk. The pair hadn't realized that Vanessa had cracked the channel three weeks ago, having thought it was an enemy signal, but she never listened in on it after finding out it was the brothers' own personal channel. She was a gossip yeah, but over hearing them talk about their family life was something she refused to eavesdrop on. A second later, the screen momentarily showed static before the line kicked on.

"What's the matter Rick?" Roy asked, splitting his attention between his scopes and his brother.

"It's Minmei Roy." Rick seemed to get more and more agitated by the second. "I went back stage to wish Lisa good luck and she thought I was there for her."

Roy winced, his mind tracking through a very possible conclusion.

"Let me guess...she was all over you?" Seeing Ricks nod, Roy sighed, _"Oh Rick,why do you have to make things harder for yourself?"_

"I don't understand it Roy. I have no interest in her anymore. But she's been trying to talk to me ever since I got promoted. Something about me being more mature."

Roy's eyes widened before they narrowed. He would freely admit to trying to get the two youngsters together at the beginning of the trip as Minmei had seemed sweet and innocent and Rick...well Rick was their equivalent to that Luke kid from Rick's favorite space trilogy. An awkward shy virgin that was thrown into the deep end, trying to protect his friends and keep himself sane in the process. Yup, the analogy fit Rick to a 'T'. Now, hearing what Rick had said, Roy began to wonder if it had been a good idea. It seemed the teen was not so innocent and had started to become the one thing Roy detested, one he had plenty of experience with. Roy Fokker had always refused to hate anyone. Dislike, not respect, would rather avoid were how he said it. But Roy hated, absolutely hated tag chasers, anyone that chased after someone in the military just for the benefits of being involved with them. It was the reason most marriages in the first term of enlistment failed, leaving devastated and financially questionable military men and women. Roy had begun to develop a dislike of the young Minmei at that point.

"I see." He stated calmly, his fighter making an easy turn around the perimeter of the SDF-1. "Anything else happen?"

"Well, after she saw the roses I had brought for Lisa, she decided to kiss me."

"Wait what?!"

Roy fought the urge to double take at the screen, not sure he heard Rick right. The air head had kissed him? And Rick had brought Lisa roses of all things?! Didn't the kid know what the flower represented? Of course he didn't fully understand it Roy realized. He'd just gone with a logical flower to give a woman, one that Roy knew Rick had said time and time again was his friend. He had to fight back the impulse to chuckle at the naive being that was his brother, when a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"Where was Lisa during all of this?" Roy asked, not liking the sour expression on his brother's face.

"She walked in with Claudia right when Minmei tried to suck my tonsils out of my mouth. She didn't even give me a chance to explain and stormed off towards her dressing room. I sorta lost my temper at Minmei after that." Rick finished sheepishly. "Claudia had over head me and promised to talk to Lisa though."

"Well there you go kid." Roy spoke brightly. "Claudia will be able to smooth it all over, but you will probably need to do a lot of groveling to make it up to Lisa." Roy informed him.

"Why would I need to do that?" Rick demanded. "It's not like I wanted it to happen! I never told her to kiss me! If Claudia smooths it over, why am I still in trouble?"

 _"Rick, you have so much to learn about women."_ Roy thought with amusement, unable to keep his smirk from his face.

"It's not that easy to answer Rick." Roy began. "A woman is something that should be cherished and protected. They can be fragile, yet stronger than any armor in existence. And stubborn." He chuckled, remembering his screw up with Claudia back when they first met. "While we both know you didn't really do anything wrong, to Lisa, all she saw was you kissing Minmei, not Minmei kissing you under protest. Trust me Rick, you're not the first man to be in hot water for a huge misunderstanding and you won't be the last." Roy then launched into his tale of the early years of him and Claudia, how he had constantly been such a foolish young man and had hurt her so much that to this day, he was still trying to make it up to her.

Rick listened to the story in awe. He'd never have guessed how much of an ass Roy had been to his now better half. And he could see the lesson behind the words.

"So your saying that even though it's not my fault, it still hurt Lisa thinking I was going to root for Minmei instead of her, which would mean I had lied." He began thoughtfully. "And even if Claudia explains it, I still need to apologize for upsetting her even if it was a misunderstanding." Rick paused and went cross eyed from the circular logic that no matter what it was the man's fault. "Why are they so confusing?"

Roy laughed.

"That Rick is a question no man alive knows the answer to." He gave his little brother a serious look. "Rick, you need to know that a man's actions can have an impact on the woman in his life, whether as her friend or as her lover." He ignored the sputtered protest from a heavily blushing Rick." Trust me though, it's all worth it in the end little brother. It's just getting past the rocky stages that can give you a headache."

Rick understood where Roy was coming from and the brothers signed off the coms. Rick leaned back in his seat, mulling over Roy's advice before he realized the underlying message.

"What are you trying to pull here Roy?" he wondered aloud as the hidden message that Rick and Lisa were together. "She's just my friend." He muttered stubbornly as he opened the beeping Com line.

"Hey Skipper! Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, you missed the first ten contestants being introduced. Commander Hayes is up next!"

Rick blinked in surprise. He hadn't realized he and Roy had been talking for almost thirty minutes and he quickly activated the Aux panel and tuned it to the Pageant broadcast, settling into his ejection seat to watch the proceedings. While Rick was getting comfortable, one Lisa Hayes took one last look at the Roses that Rick had been trying to deliver to her with a sweet smile.

"It was awfully sweet of Rick to get you flowers Lisa." Claudia teased. "And roses at that! Maybe I should have your Flyboy speak to Roy on the finer points of courting a lady."

Lisa scowled at Claudia, her blush flaring up. Why did Claudia insist on reading too much into their actions. And besides, they were still just getting to know each other anyway. But if she was truly honest with herself, she would have admitted to having a small crush on the brown haired ace. But her mind simply refused to admit that, nor that it was because of her non existent crush that seeing him being kissed by another girl had hurt her. No, it was because she had thought he had lied about her chance to win. After all, he had talked her into it. Claudia had brought up that point as Lisa had been completely against competing until after running into Rick and Roy. Lisa had laid out the logical benefits of her going through with it, ones that Rick had pointed out. She was merely going above and beyond in her duty to her fellow comrades. Claudia hadn't bought it.

"For the last time Claudia, he is not my Flyboy."

The ebony skinned woman gave her a sad shake of her head and decided to drop the subject. No use in getting her all huffy before she needed to strut her stuff across the stage. The two fell into a nervous silence as they waited. It was long until the attendant signaled Lisa that it was her turn. The normally determined woman began to have doubts creep in, making her wonder if she could even do this. Despair started to fill her until she thought about what Rick would do. He'd square his shoulders, walk out there, and do his job. And she could do no less. Lisa took a deep breath, and stepped through the curtains as the announcer called out her number.

Rick had been waiting anxiously for Lisa to appear, hoping she would be okay and kicking himself for talking her into doing it. He felt bad because she had told him the concept of being in a beauty pageant had seemed so alien to her that it made her uncomfortable. That was probably one of the reasons she was upset at him too. Damn, he really did have a lot of groveling to do. But as quickly as those thoughts came, they were banished just as quick as the camera's zoomed in on her. His breath caught in his chest as she gracefully and confidently stepped out and onto the stage. He finally got a good look at her attire, more than the few seconds he had before and couldn't believe this was the same woman he had thought was old and too uptight almost one year ago. The dress, a dark emerald green gown that he knew would complement her eyes, brought out all of her feminine curves perfectly while at the same time coming off as a tasteful look. While most girls had gone strapless, Lisa was one of the few who had gone with a single shoulder strap that slid over her right shoulder. It almost looked like a prom dress to Rick, but that didn't matter. Her hair was done up in an elegant, classy look from some of the old movies he had watched as a child, leaving her smooth, elegant neck exposed for all to see instead of hidden behind the honey wheat colored curtains it was usually in. The ensemble was topped of with a light dusting of makeup and simple silver heart shaped locket. Rick hadn't realized he had forgotten to breath and took in a deep lungful of oxygen as Lisa made her way to the announcer and began to speak into the microphone.

"I'm Commander Lisa Hayes, representing the Robotech Defense Force."

The man holding the device nodded kindly and gestured for her to step beside the other candidates. The whole crew of the SDF was in shock at how Lisa had appeared. No one had even thought she could look as gorgeous as she did right then. Rick was still dealing with his unintentional asphyxiation when Max came in over the channel.

"Wow. Commander Hayes sure looks lovely, right Skipper?"

"Yeah. I'll say. Who knew she had it in her?" Rick replied, recovering from the sheer surprise.

"What a knockout. Wonder if she'd say yes if I asked her out?" Ben popped off.

"How about I knock you out!" Rick snapped at him.

"Alright you three settle down." Roy clicked in. "Rick, no beating up your men. Ben, watch your mouth. Don't make me put you two on report."

Rick apologized to Ben, not sure why he over reacted to the young man's statement and went back to watching the show. He frowned when Minmei walked across the stage, not even caring. Ben however, seemed to be smitten and Rick just chuckled, listening to his wingman talk about how cute she was. _Good luck Ben, you'll need it._ Rick contemplated warning Ben away, and decided to talk with him after the guard was rotated out. After the introduction of the hopefuls, they went through a question and answer category, asking them things like their hobbies, goals in life, or about the war in general. Most had given bland and not very creative answers in Rick's personal opinion. His attention was fully on Lisa as the MC came over to her.

"Commander Hayes, with you being a member of the RDF, the very people who have kept us safe these many months, what are your thoughts on our journey so far?"

Rick watched as Lisa thought over her answer for a moment, knowing it wouldn't take her long to formulate a response with how sharp her mind was. On the Bridge, Captain Gloval took a small puff of his pipe, having talked Sammie into dropping her normal stern scolding for smoking there just for the occasion of the event going on. _"How can some one so fragile seem so stern?"_ His attention going back to the screen as they awaited Lisa's answer.

"It's been a long and rough journey for everyone of us. We are always on alert for any attack, and many of us have lost loved ones. I don't think there isn't a single person on this ship who hasn't been marked by it." She began, her voice calm and confident. "But, from the first day our trip began, we've all come together in that shared pain and the shared victory for each battle we have won against a relentless enemy. We have grown stronger both individually and as a family aboard this ship. We have stood untied time and time again and preserved despite our backs having been against the wall. Look at us now. Even after so much has been lost, we still have our hope and our drive to continue on, even going as far as to have this event. It's...well it makes me feel like all the sacrifices that we in the RDF have made are more than worth it."

"What about when we reach Earth? Do you believe we will make it back?"

Lisa gave the host a gentle smile and nodded her head.

"Yes. I believe that as long as we stay united, we will make it. And we will win against our enemy."

The crowed clapped and cheered as Lisa politely smiled at them in appreciation, no one knowing how much her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest at being in the spotlight. But, if the crowds response was any indication, they seemed to agree with her. The watching men and woman the ship thought on what Lisa had said and agreed, each of them feeling the boost in morale as the majority of the civilian population gave out cries of agreement and appreciation for their men and women in uniform. Rick himself was smiling at Lisa's truthful words as he checked in with Roy.

"Looks like our Commander is really wowing the crowd." Roy commented.

"Yeah. She sure is." Rick agreed with a goofy smile.

Roy chuckled and closed the link. He could see that his little brother was falling for the rather attractive young woman, but he decided against teasing him for once. The rest of the interview stage passed smoothly and the next item was the talent portion. Rick listened with half an ear as the two reporters were talking about the initial progress for each contestant, going so far as to say that Jan Morris was the early favorite, but Lisa wasn't far behind, nor Minmei in the early polls. Rick scoffed, knowing about the celebrity that was competing. She had an unfair advantage due to her status as a star well before they left Earth. Rick looked at the monster disapprovingly as it showed said woman coming on stage for her act.

"Someone like her shouldn't be competing. A guest judge perhaps but not as a competitor." Rick mused.

"I have to agree with you there sir. It does seem unfair to the others." Ben commented.

"I'm right with you on that one Ben. I don't understand why they allowed it. Maybe just for publicity?" Max suggested.

"It's possible Max. That or it's an attempt for her to get back in the spot light. It probably hasn't been easy for her to adjust to a life style that lacks new movies for her to act in." Rick mentioned.

"That's true. Still, it seems like our Commander is changing some votes to her."

"It's still early in the show Ben. Besides, what about that Minmei girl? She's not doing too bad herself."

Rick tuned out the conversation between Ben and Max, watching the even as Jan finished her singing, garnering many applause at her skill. While he did admit she had talent, he really didn't like seeing a star in this pageant, but had to agree that having her in the event, would help raise the morale off all the the inhabitants inside the ship. The contestants came up, one by one, giving their performances. Rick found himself impressed by several of them that showed true talent and skill. The best one so far had been one who'd apparently been a magician. Her act at been sharp and impressive. It was a nice break from the normal expected act. He hummed along with a few of the other signing acts, wincing once or twice when one singer, a young woman with curly blonde hair had stumbled through a few lyrics of a catchy tune Rick knew from an 80's artist. The events dragged on, and Rick had to admit that Minmei had some talent as a singer, but he was pretty sure she had used him as inspiration for her song My Boyfriend in a a Pilot and wondered if he should be flattered or agitated at her for it. Next up, was Lisa's act and Rick was immediately drawn to her stunning look as she appeared. A strapless black dress that clung to her like a second skin in places, yet flared out perfectly for her to move in, with the hem just above her knees and her hair down fully in cascading, shiny sheets down to her lower back. Just what was the woman doing to him? Rick didn't understand how she had this effect on him at all. She was his friend and it made him feel awkward to even admit that Lisa was actually a very sexy woman. Besides, he was too young for her and he doubted she would even entertain the idea of him in that way. The music began, a cross of piano and acoustic strings blending perfectly for the opening few bars. Rick was memorized as Lisa began to sing. He honestly couldn't place the tune, but he found himself tapping his foot along with the beat from the drums. The lights began to flare in time as the beat picked up.

The way she moved was intoxicating to him, as she seemed to be pouring her heart into the music. The way she sang, the way her eyes seemed to sparkle, his mind was slowly breaking down his reservations about her, finding himself wondering if she would want to go out some time. When he thought about it, she was someone he got along well with, some one he respected and that respected him. He cleared his had and stomped down those thought viciously, countering them with the fact that she was his superior officer, not her peer, which would be harshly looked down upon by UN Spacy command. Not to mention her Father would probably not approve at all. He would just have to be happy with being her friend. The song ended and the crowd roared their approval of her act, leaving a blushing and shy Lisa to thank them and walk off stage. Waiting on her, Claudia hugged her friend, astonished with how well she handled the song.

"Well that was one fine performance Lisa! You looked wonderful and sang beautifully!" Claudia praised after breaking from her embrace.

"Thanks Claudia. To be honest I wasn't to sure about the dress you picked out. I wonder if they liked it?" She questioned out loud.

"The crowd or a certain blue eyed pilot?" Claudia teased, causing Lisa to huff playfully at her.

"Just what will it take to get you to stop teasing me about Rick?"

Claudia put on a thoughtful look for appearances, hand cupping her chin to complete the look.

"Well I suppose asking him out would do it." She teased. "Besides, how could any man turn down the Miss Macross winner?" Claudia said with a giggle.

Lisa looked amused at her friend as they headed towards her changing room.

"I'll make you a deal Claudia." She told her friend, entering the room. "If somehow I actually win this thing, I'll do it." She knew she wouldn't win. Yes, she seemed to be doing okay, but Jan Morris would more than like burn through the competition as winner, leaving Minmei, who Lisa thought had a better chance then her to take Runner Up. She'd probably end up in maybe the top five.

"And if you lose?" Claudia asked, the gears in her head turning. If Lisa won, this could go along way to finally melting the Ice Queen front she was so fond of putting up.

"Then you have to stop teasing me and trying to get me to go out with Rick." She replied. "Besides, I really don't think he would be interested in me anyway. I'm an old lady remember?" She joked, masking the disappointment her points had brought forth.

Claudia hesitated for a moment as Lisa began to pull out the swim suit she had brought for the pageant, a modest one piece that wasn't too bad, but it wouldn't help her win. _"Oh I don't think so. I need to make sure she wins this! Good thing I planned for her conservative taste in clothes."_ She quickly grabbed the suit from the rack Lisa placed it on to change and switched it for a cobalt blue two piece that would definitely cause jaws to drop and maybe even cause a certain brown haired bone head to die from a nose bleed. The switch happened in seconds while Lisa was getting out of her dress, and Claudia hurried out of the room, the green one piece tucked securely in her own bag. Lisa would get it back at the end of the show.

Back in the dressing room, Lisa came out from behind the screen, wearing her normal white bath robe and felt her eyes go wide at the new suit hanging there. The bottoms were much too thin and the top left very little to the imagination. There was no way she would be wearing that!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The crowd clapped excitedly as Minmei walked off stage, wide smile in place as the announcer made a few comments on her youthful beauty. Rick groaned as he sat back in the veritech, having used the short break to stretch his legs. The other two members of his team were also easing back into their mecha as the contest continued. He wasn't really looking forward to this part, not because he didn't like looking a women in swim wear, but because he'd rather not die of heart failure of seeing Lisa in a bathing suit. He figured she'd wear something tasteful, at least he hoped so. He was also waiting for Roy to report back on the radar contact, and he was getting restless, wondering if the enemy was coming. His gaze turned back to the screen at hearing Lisa's name and for the life of him, couldn't look away.

"Oh my." Max commented, his face showing surprise.

Ben's jaw was somewhere near his ankles but Rick didn't notice as once again, Lisa seemed to be blowing his expectations completely out of the water. She was walking across the stage, and from Rick could see, shyly, in her two piece cobalt blue suit with a see through full body slip wrapped around her. The light blush on her face only added to the sexy look, with her hair pulled into a simple ponytail with just enough of her bangs loose to frame her slime face. Rick drank in the vision of this goddess on his monitor Who was this and what happened to the real Lisa? On stage, Lisa modeled her look while her mind was screaming at the under handed trick Claudia had pulled off. Of course she'd find some way to help her win, but at the moment, she couldn't help but wonder what Rick thought of it. Hopefully, it would be a favorable reaction from him. She didn't know why she was even concerned with his opinion, no matter how honest it was. The walk took only a few minutes and she joined the rest of the ladies, some looking at her in jealousy, others in approval.

On the Bridge, Henry's eyes were wide in surprise at such a risque look for Lisa, but reasoned that Claudia had been involved. It had truly been a surprising evening, what with Lisa's impressive performance so far, to Commander Fokker reporting in recently on the destruction of an enemy scout ship that had no doubt been attempting to listen in on any military secrets and plans they had concerning their goal of getting back home. He was surprised to hear that three escape pods had been released from the stricken enemy vessel and they had quickly disappeared into the blackness of space. It was concerning, but nothing they could do about it now. The Terrible Trio seemed to be just as stunned as anyone else that Lisa had done so well. The final phase of the pageant was now over and the host began thanking them all for such a wonderful performance as the voting began. The judges began deliberating amongst themselves over who would be crowned Miss Macross as the crowd voted for their own favorite. While the judges would have final word on who won, they did take the crowds opinion into consideration during their deliberation.

Standing backstage, Claudia had her arms crossed over her chest in anticipation and crossed fingers. She really hoped Lisa won, not just because of the bet, but because the woman needed to see that she was beautiful woman as well as one of the best rising stars in the RDF. She needed to gain confidence in herself. Confidence she had lost long ago with the loss of her fiance. She would never say it out loud, but she was absolutely thrilled that the wound had finally started to heal completely recently. That Lisa had finally begun to let go of the past. And she only had Rick Hunter and the disaster that was Mars to thank for it. Her eyes grew misty as she thought fondly of her little hard headed brother.

"If only you knew just what your kindness and friendship has done for her."

She knew that Rick didn't know how bad it had gotten with Lisa. Claudia had truly feared the woman would become nothing more than a soulless machine, alone as she refused to let anyone near her heart. And as far as Claudia knew, She and Rick were her only true friends. She really wanted Lisa to be happy and now, now it seemed like it was happening. Now if only she could win this, she'd be able to snag her very own man. It took the judges almost twenty minutes to come to a decision before passing the card that held the fate of the top three on it. The host smiled brightly as the crowd began to quiet down and spoke once the noise level had dropped enough for him to make sure he was heard.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been a thrilling evening with all our contestants. Let's give them a round of applause!" He began clapping, the whole of the stadium joining him for a half a minute before they tapered off. "Before I read the results, I would first like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who made it possible." He paused as some cheering went up and moved to his next item. "And I would ask that we observe a moment of silence for the heros who made sure we have had the chance to enjoy this evening for with out their sacrifice, none of us would be here."

Silence filled the stadium as all sent silent thanks to those who were no longer with them, having perished in the line of duty. Lisa bowed her head, knowing that many of the dead were pilots she had in some way shape or form, worked with and it always broke her heart to know that no matter how prepared they were or how well trained, some would never return home, much as she would so dearly wish they could. The host allowed several moments to pass before he spoke again, remembering and honoring his own sister who had been killed during the initial attack.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear the results!" He called, opening the envelope.

The drum roll was heard through the crowd easily as it had gone deathly silent, everyone wondering who would win.

"In third place with an average score of 9.3, Miss Lynn Minmei!" He called out.

The girl in question smiled widely on the outside, but crushed on the inside. She had hoped she would manage to win, even with the complete surprise that was Lisa and Jan. Some how, her mind had figured that she stood the best chance to beat Jan Morris and if she had pulled it off, she'd get Rick back in her life. Unlike before, when he seemed so childish, he was now an officer and had much more responsibility, and from what she had seen of him, much more maturity. Well, maybe having at least made the top three would catch his attention again and he would stop playing hard to get, what with avoiding her and all. Standing a few rows behind her, Lisa couldn't help but feel a little depressed. She highly doubted she had done better than Minmei, but she had begun to hope she made it to at least the top three, her competitive nature demanding her to achieve that goal as it was unrealistic that she could beat out an honest to God movie star. The announcer paused, waiting for the applause to die down before continuing.

"First runner up, with an average score of 9.4..." His eyes seemed to widen in surprise and his voice showed it as he announced the name. "Miss Jan Morris."

The crowd was speechless and so were the contestants. Who could have beat out Jan Morris? They were all in amazed wonder and a several blocks away, Rick Hunter was muttering a prayer for Lisa. Could she have pulled off a victory? It was most certainly possible. Unlike some of the other girls, Lisa had struck him as the most confident of the contestants and easily the most surprising with that bathing suit she had worn, which he did admit look great on her.

"Rick, quit hyper ventilating. We'd all like to hear the results." Roy teased, having been on the com with him already while telling him about the scout ship.

Rick just glared at Roy, making the other man chuckle. Roy had no idea that in the waiting area with the rest of the other girls' entourages, Claudia had her eyes closed tightly and was pleading that Lisa, the one contestant who would rather have not competed, had managed to beat out everyone else. That and she really wanted to win the bet the two of them had. On the stage, the host was still surprised, as even he figured Miss Morris would have won. It was with some great surprise to him at who the real winner was, and he just knew this would shock everyone on the ship. He composed himself as two young women in RDF uniforms came on stage, holding a bouquet of flowers and the crown for Miss Macross, his wide warm smile returning to his face as he lowered the card after double and triple checking the name. No need to announce the wrong name after all!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, with an average score of 9.7, may I present to you, your new Miss Macross..." He paused as the drum roll spun up, the crowd getting anxious and buzzing in anticipation, all so he could dramatically sweep his arm back towards the contestants. "Commander Lisa Hayes!" He announced.

The crowd was quiet for one full minute before cheers erupted through out the many men and women in attendance. Behind the curtain, Claudia was silently crying joyous tears for her very surprised and confused friend as she was crowned and handed the flowers. She punched the air in victory and happily awaited her chance to cash in on the bet. Elsewhere, Roy Fokker had an amused smirk on his face.

"Well I'll be...Lisa actually pulled it off." He commented, the maniacal grin on Rick's face clear as day.

"I told you Big Brother. I told you she could so do it!" He excitedly reminded him.

Roy laughed at the joyful tone in Rick's voice as the younger man savored the victory his not so secret crush had pulled off. Wining by .3 over Jan was a very close race in his opinion, but to be completely honest with himself, he hadn't expected Lisa to make it beyond the Top Five, not that he didn't think she wasn't attractive, but because of who she was and how against the idea she had been at first. It was definitely surprising. Rick grinned as he watched Lisa give a small smile and a short wave as the music played in the back ground. He nodded, satisfied.

"That's my girl! Told ya you could win." He told the image before him softly.

"That was a surprising upset Skipper. I know you had faith in Commander Hayes but I didn't think she'd beat out our resident celebrity."

"Yeah. I mean, she's cute, but to have beaten out that Minmei girl and Jan Morris? I thought it was impossible." Ben agreed.

Rick glared at him.

"There is more to it then that Ben. Lisa was the most composed and confident one there. And honestly she is much better looking then the others."

Max gave a knowing smirk, and looked ready to speak before Rick stopped him.

"Lock it up Max." He growled out. "We already had this discussion."

The blue haired pilot laughed, joined quickly by Ben and Roy, all three having the same completely off the wall opinion that he in some way, liked Lisa Hayes as more than a friend. Unfortunately for him, he was the only one who thought that, but deep down, he knew his feelings for her were rapidly changing and he was simply misunderstanding what his heart was telling him, Roy gave a pitying look before he ordered the guard and CAP rotation, having been on for the past four hours. It looks like Roy would need to have a serious, well maybe mostly serious, chat with Rick. It was one thing to be hesitant because of the age and rank difference, but it was another to completely ignore your own emotions. Even if Lisa didn't want to take it to the next step just yet because of those reasons, a distinct possibility based on her rather annoying tendency to follow every single regulation laid down before them, it would still be better for them if Rick admitted it to her that way he could avoid any awkward situations that could and would rear their ugly heads.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa made her way numbly to her changing room, still not believing she had actually won. The state of shock had her just going through the motions of thanking and greeting everyone that congratulated her. She honestly didn't know how to respond in any other way. Claudia, her dear sweet soon to dead friend Claudia smiled slyly at her, holding the green one piece.

"Oh Lisa, look what I found hidden behind a few bags."

Lisa couldn't help but laugh and pulled her friend into an emotional hug. She wondered if it was the suit she had switched the green one piece out that had put her into the winners circle. The two women remained embracing each other for several moments before Lisa pulled back and gave her a small smile.

"I will get you back for that Claudia." She told the other woman, "But you probably made sure I won with that switch."

Claudia gave an innocent smile.

"What make you think I did it?" She asked.

"Do you want an honest answer to that?" Lisa quipped, still amused at Claudia's mock innocent look. Commander Grant held it for a few more seconds before giving it up and smiling deviously.

"Well I needed to make sure I won the bet." She remarked.

Lisa's smile dropped away very quickly at the realization that Claudia had in fact won their little bet. Her wide green eyes turned back to her friend, who understood the unasked question and merely nodded smugly.

"That's right Lisa. I won, you lost. Now it's time for you to pay up." Claudia smirked. "And don't worry about Rick sweetie. I'll make sure Roy has him looking sharp for your date."

"You don't need to involve Roy in this!" Lisa sputtered. "I was going to see if he wanted to grab a coffee, that would count." Lisa tried to protest.

Claudia wagged a finger at her.

"Oh I don't think so Lisa. When I said ask him out, I was meaning a real date. Dinner, a movie, something along those lines." Claudia corrected her, smirking all the while Lisa's face became paler and paler. "Come on Lisa! You need to do this! It's time you started acting like a woman and if you don't ask Rick, I'll ask for him and set up the date for you both." She threatened.

Lisa hung her head in defeat. There was no way out of this and now she was about to make things extremely awkward for Rick. Fear of rejection and him abandoning her passed through her mind. She had risked his friendship on a bet and now, she had no way out of it.

"Oh what did I get myself into!"

* * *

 **So some ending notes. Originally Lisa was singing Shadows of the Night with the lyrics written in, but I changed it around a bit. The sing Lisa is singing is Reckless by Martina McBride. And because of the crack down FF has been doing recently, I didn't include the lyrics this time around. You wanna hear it, youtube is your friend. It wasn't hard for me to picture our favorite stubborn Admiral (Well, future Admiral at ths point!) singing it. Anyway, read and review. If you don't a city will be wiped out by the Zentradi.**


	4. Chapter 4 Confessions

**New chapter up. Thank you guys for the reviews. I have to admit, I had not originally planned to upload this story, but between re-watching both Macross and the Harmony Gold American Dub (All of them actually, which to be honest is very underrated), and curiously looking through the Fanfiction section, it reawakened my muse for RoboTech/Macross. Anywho, I hope I'm capturing the changes correctly that the characters went through before To The Stars when Rick finally removed one cranium from his rectum (His head from his ass if you didn't get the fancy way of saying it) and chose Lisa. Mimei eventually was a decent character, but in the beginning was way too...ditzy? Narcissistic? Shallow? All the above? Anyway, with out further ado, I give you the next Chapter. In the last chapter, Lisa blew away all of the competition and had secured her victory in the Miss Macross Pageant. Now in this chapter, she must make due on her bet with Claudia and ask Rick out on a date. Mostly fluff and filler, but hey, it's part of the story.**

Chapter 4

Life aboard the massive warship returned to normal, following the surprising turn of events leading up to the shocking conclusion for the pageant. Rick Hunter had smugly rubbed it in that he had been correct in his prediction and they had been wrong. Ben had tried to defend himself in his choice while Max simply gave a shrug, conceding his flight lead had been right. The three had parted way that night, after the debrief, promising to get together on their next day off for a few drinks at the bar on base. Rick had went to bed that night, happy smile on his face, not knowing just what awaited him the next day. Meanwhile, with Claudia and Roy, the blonde haired jokster was trying his hardest not to kiss his lovely lady into a coma for her sheer brilliance. He guffawed at her retelling of her last minute bet with Lisa and how the woman had attempted to back out of it. It was so funny to him, because Lisa always struck him as someone who would pay up on a lost bet even if she didn't like her payout for losing. Claudia herself merely gave a smug smile as she waited for Roy to catch his breath and speak, taking a few bites from her famous pineapple salad or so Roy called it.

"She...she tried to compromise with a coffee date?!" He laughed again. "Oh man that's just funny. I got to admit, I never would have figured you'd do something so devious to help those two get past their denial about each other!" Roy admitted, a loving smile on his face for her. One more reason why he was sure she was the one for him.

"That's right flyboy." She confirmed, trying hard not to look overly pleased with herself. "She's going to be asking him tomorrow. Which reminds me." She gave him a leveled stare, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable. What was he going to need to make up for now?

"Don't worry, I'll speak to Rick tomorrow and make sure he's ready to wow the Queen of the Pilots." He held his hands up as if attempting to ward off any assault by the spoon wielding woman.

"That's not what I was going to ask, but thanks for offering. I'd like to know how Rick is so charming towards Lisa with flowers and you haven't been for me." She stated, pointing the spoon at him.

"Hey, that's not fair! Rick doesn't even know what he's doing and probably doesn't understand the meaning behind them." Roy pouted, slightly hurt that his little brother was deemed more charming than him. Well, his ego was hurt at least. "I see no need to remind you that I am a heartthrob and can be very charming when the need arises!" He countered, puffing his chest out in mock arrogance.

Claudia's eyes danced with amusement, with Roy feeling himself grow lightheaded from the two twinkling chocolate orbs.

"Oh really? A heartthrob huh?" She mused playfully, spinning the spoon between her fingers. "More like heart attack you big lug." Her expression turned more thoughtful. "But you are right. We need to help Rick sand away those rough spots or it will get him into trouble. He tell you what that little Minmei girl did to him?"

Roy scowled, the lighting making it much more pronounced and Claudia couldn't help but be reminded of how handsome her man was, even when something upset him.

"Yeah, he told me." He answered, leaning back into his seat, hands clasped together behind his head. "To be honest, he should have seen it coming, but when Lisa seems to be involved, he gets that one track mind he is famous for. "

"I've begun to notice myself. Seem familiar?" She teased, rising and standing right in front of Roy with her arms crossed.

Roy gave a roguish grin as he looked up into her eyes, that teasing grin on her face. He pulled her down and in one swift motion, placed her right on his lap. He planted a soul searing kiss on his beloved, leaving her breathless and her face flushed.

"You know, it is almost like seeing a younger, highly awkward version of myself whenever Rick and Lisa are in the same room." He replied, his forehead resting against Claudia's. "I only hope he doesn't waste as much time as I did before I finally wised up and claimed my own lovely angel."

Claudia cupped Roy's face and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, approval at his statement plain to him in much more than words.

"Well, you boys may not be blood brothers, but with how much granite both of you have for heads, its easy to overlook that fact. Now, enough about Rick and Lisa. I think I've earned a reward for my good deed, don't you?" She asked him, hunger on her face that wasn't about food.

Roy answered, not verbally, but Claudia understood his reply.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick woke the next morning, and glared at his alarm clock blasting away it's annoying buzz. He growled with annoyance and fumbled for several seconds to shut the evil device off. With his mortal enemy winning once more in his battle for sleep, Rick gave a yawn and in a zombie like way, shuffled to his bathroom to get ready. His bleary eyes stared back at him from the mirror as Rick simply stood there, hands on the counter, wondering if he should just call in sick and play hookey today. It sounded oh so sweet but the logical, military side of him, a side that Rick was listening to more and more, brought up the fact that they needed everyone to do their duty as they were short handed enough and it was only getting worse. Turning on the shower, Rick waited until it was just at the edge of being comfortable and too hot before stepping under the spray of water, beginning the routine of cleaning his body. His mind wandered back to his thoughts on how bad it was getting with manpower. Sure, they were getting more proficient with handling themselves in space combat, well once they got over trying to handle the veritech as if in atmosphere, but they were still limited on the number of pilots they had. Unlike the aliens that seemed to have an unlimited supply of cannon fodder, they only had a finite amount to draw from. It was a depressing thought, but he hoped that the victory Lisa had in the pageant would bring about an influx of recruits to help bolster the strength of the SDF's airwing. Lisa. The thought of the young woman perked him up and a small smile appeared on his face as he felt the water rising the soap off his body. She had really been something last night and his mind flashed back to the bikini, and produced the effect men all over the world had dealt with for all of history. He felt his blood flow pick up and his body began to react to the image in his mind.

In a desperate act to calm himself, Rick quickly shut the hot water off, and the spray of water became icy, eliciting a yelp of discomfort from him as he fought the urge to jump out of it. At least not until it cooled his blood down. Several agonizing seconds later, Rick shut the water off and quickly stepped out, shivering from both the exposure to the cooler air and the cold water running off him, and toweled off rather quickly. Ten minutes after Rick's self induced arctic shower, he was stepping into the hallway and his nose began picking up the ever loved aroma of coffee. As if in a trance, Rick followed the wonderful smell and was knocking on Max's door. Rick would tell Max years later, that it was his coffee that had helped Rick deal with many of his sleepy mornings. The blue haired young man opened the door, a greeting smile on his face and a mug of fresh coffee already begin pushed into Rick's hands.

"Morning Skipper. Sleep well?" Max asked as the pair headed off towards the transport that would take them to base.

"I think so Max." He responded, sipping the brew. "I won't know until I wake up all the way."

Max laughed as they were joined by Ben, who always seemed to be full of energy. It always creeped Rick out at his never less than cheerful disposition.

"Lieutenant! Max!" He greeted, smiling widely. "Another great day huh?"

Rick grunted his response as he finished the coffee before the trio took their seats on the truck transport. Max and Ben grinned, knowing how much Rick hated mornings. It had been an ongoing game for the two as they tried to guess how long it would take him to fully engage his brain before work. Max glanced out over the City as Ben began talking up a storm about the pageant last night and began thanking Rick for talking to him about Minmei, the warnings from the older pilot having stuck in his mind. It only took twenty minutes for them to arrive at the bay, and for Rick to fully wake up, which even surprised him as he figured the cold shower would have woken him more than the coffee, and they settled into the briefing room with fifteen minutes to spare. Roy was already there, going over the reports on his podium as his pilots filtered in through the doors and greeted each other. He was always amused how so few of them seemed to be awake and alert. He was specifically amused by Rick, who he knew hated waking before nine. To be fair to the young hot head, it seemed as if he was becoming more and more used to it as time went on. Soon, he'd be as bright eyed and bushy tailed as Roy was at this hour.

"Alright boys and girls. Settle down. Time to get this morning brief started." He commanded.

The room went silent as they settled into their seats, with Rick and his team taking the spots to the middle right of the group.

"We did good yesterday, but our efficiency with response times has dropped by three percent." Roy began. "We need to get back on point so we will be conducting three more drills per week. At least until we get our numbers back up. Vermilion is the only team who hasn't seen any drop so whatever you're doing Hunter, keep doing it."

Rick nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Boss is being nice to his brother." One of the pilots, a kid with bright yellow hair and dark blue eyes muttered. He hadn't realized that he had spoken that thought out loud until a pen hit him in the head, bringing his gaze to lock unto Roy's harsh one.

"I do not play favorites with my pilots Ensign. If you want to look at the numbers, you're welcome to." His eyes swept the room. "Let me make it clear. Yes, Lieutenant Hunter is my family, but that doesn't mean I don't hold him to the same standards as the rest of you. In fact, I expect more from him than anyone else." He paused, thoughtfully. "Maybe I should raise the bar for all of you. Perhaps I've gone soft."

Several of them stared in disbelief as Roy Fokker was NOT known for being soft and had to question just what standards he held Rick to. A truly evil grin appeared on his face as he looked to the foolish man that had spoken.

"Thanks for bringing an idea to my mind Ensign." The young man tried to melt into his seat as the other pilots groaned in depression. "From now on, we will be doubling our drills _and_ our BCM practices for the next month. You all can thank your fellow officer here for that."

Every eye focused on the young man and the glares seemed to bore into him, making him flush red in embarrassment, while Rick just shook his head in exasperation. There went even more of his free time, which really wasn't a blow to him and his team. None of them had anything else to do. Max would be perfectly fine with it as he really wanted to make his flight lead proud and Ben wanted to prove he could be one of the best. Rick really wasn't concerned as he just loved to fly, but really didn't like the idea of more drills. Roy pressed on with the meeting, bringing up the watch schedule for the next two weeks and passed on the basic reminder that their annual classes were coming up and everyone needed to get them completed before the end of next week. The meeting lasted another twenty minutes before Roy released them for duty, but pulled Rick aside to have a few words.

"I didn't mean to single you out earlier little brother, but it is true that your team hasn't slipped below a 95 percent reaction rating. You guys are three of the best pilots I have."

Rick nodded his understanding.

"I know you didn't. And thanks. We'll try to beat the current stats next month." He gave a cocky grin that Roy returned.

"Well that's good to hear. Command suits you Rick. I'm proud of you." Roy admitted.

"Well I did learn from the best." Rick joked.

"I am a great leader aren't I?"

"I was talking about Lisa, but you're not too bad." Rick laughed as Roy seemed to face fault, a mock look of annoyance on his face in response to Rick's words.

"Think you're funny huh? Get outta here before I put you on double duty." He teasingly threatened.

Rick gave him a salute and headed off, chuckling all the while.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa waited patiently as Rick's veritech was lowered down into the bay. She watched from the observation room as the air pumps kicked on and began filling the massive room before her with life giving oxygen, mentally kicking herself for getting trapped into a bet like this. She had managed to get Claudia to agree that she could at least make it a dinner at her quarters instead of parading the two friends, she was vehemently denying any kind of romantic relationship potential she and Rick may have much to Claudia's annoyance, around the civilian sector, sending the wrong message to any who may come across them. That and she really wanted to avoid all those nosy reporters that had been hounding her since last night and the talent manager that had been trying desperately to hire her on as the next big star. Lisa had told him time and time again that she did not want the job or the spotlight and had pointed him in Mimei's direction. He seemed to have been upset that the winner refused him but had been hopeful the third place contestant, one who had shown serious talent, would agree. Lisa didn't tell the man that the young girl would probably sell her soul for the offer and had watched him leave the cafe she and Claudia had been having lunch at. It was truly annoying to her that all of the sudden, people went out of the way to greet her or ask for her autograph, but it had one bright touching moment when a small girl, maybe seven, had shyly approached them and asked for one, telling Lisa she wanted to grow up and be just like her and protect her Mom and brother from bad people. The little blue eyed blonde child had been so adorable that Lisa couldn't say no and even waved off the apology for mother had tried to give and merely signed the book the child had with a bright smile. Thinking of that bright spot brought a small smile to her face, thinking that her mission had been a success. The numbers of recruits had increased, jumping up twenty percent from last month, showing that her competing had a very positive impact in just under a day later.

She glanced at the status lights, and opened the hatch to the bay after the green light blazed on signaling it was safe to enter, and composed her self as she watched Rick exit his Veritech and began talking with the crew chief. _Come on Hayes. You can do this. It's just a friendly dinner between two comrades. Nothing romantic about that._ She marched over to Rick, keeping her butterflies in check and ignoring the fluttering of her heart in nervousness as she approached him. The brown haired pilot heard heeled footsteps and looked over to see Lisa walking towards him, a nervous smile on her face. His mind flashed back to the bikini and he had to mercilessly stomp down his blush and his thoughts and fought to remain professional. Rick looked back to his crew chief and bade him a good bye just as Lisa stopped three feet from him. He snapped to attention and gave her a sharp salute that she returned, a smile on her face.

"At ease Lieutenant. How was the patrol?" She asked, kicking herself as she had been on duty during it and knew very well it went smooth. _Good job Lisa! Make yourself look like a nervous school girl!_ She thought with agitation. "I mean, was there anything else besides the normal?"

Oh God, she just made it even worse trying to salvage her opening question. Her cheeks pinkened slightly as she tried to figure someway to remove her foot from her mouth. Rick blinked in confusion, his thoughts being that maybe he had hinted at something during the patrol. He was still thinking about how to apologize to Lisa about the Minmei incident last night so maybe she had caught on to that.

"Oh, uh, nothing with the patrol." He rubbed the back of his head in nervousness. "I was thinking about what happened back stage last night and I've been wondering how to apologize to you for how it must have looked." He admitted, dropping his gaze to the deck.

Lisa wanted to sigh in relief as he hadn't caught onto her stumbling attempts to strike up a conversation with him, some way to lead into the dinner idea. Her mind caught onto what he had said and gave him a confused stare.

"Why on Earth would you need to apologize for that? Claudia told me what happened after I stormed off." She admitted, feeling guilty she had let her temper get the better of her. "I'm sorry I snapped at you last night Rick. I just..." She trailed off, trying to find away to explain it to him that didn't sound like she had a crush or anything on him.

"You thought I had lied." He spoke up, his blue orbs shining with an unspoken apology. "And I want you to know, I'll never lie to you. You're one of my friends Lisa and I'd never lie to anyone I cared about." The sincerity in his tone and his expression made her heart melt at how sweet it was for him to tell her that. "And I know it must have hurt you. So I wanna find away to make it up to you. How about dinner sometime? My treat!" He offered.

Her mind went blank at his offer before it kicked into gear. This was a perfect chance for her to not only appease Claudia, but a way to put his mind at ease for his imagined slight towards her! She almost laughed out in relief but figured it would be rude as he stood their fidgeting as he awaited her response. She put on a bright smile, her eyes twinkling happily.

"Tell you what Rick..." She took a quick look around before continuing. No need for the rumor mill to kick into overdrive. "Why don't we have a friendly dinner tonight at my quarters. It's the least I can do for making you think I've been upset with you."

Rick felt his guilt slowly melt away and gave a thoughtful look as he rubbed his chin.

"Well, only if you let me help! After all, you don't owe me any apology." He countered.

Lisa was taken aback by his statement and found herself agreeing with him.

"Alright then. 1800 good for you?" She asked him pleasantly.

"Yeah. Sounds perfect!" He grinned. "Casual?"

She nodded in confirmation before smiling happily and told him she'd see him in a few hours before she left the bay with a joyful spring in her step. She'd managed to avoid it seeming awkward and had succeeded in up holding her end of the bet. Now, she needed to get ready.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A short four hours later, Rick found himself outside Lisa's room, nervously straightening his dark blue sweater as he waited for her to answer the door. In his hands, he held a simple bottle of wine he had procured from a certain brother of his. Rick had told Roy he was having dinner with a friend that night. Roy had laughed when the subject of Rick helping to cook as the man couldn't even boil water with out something catching fire. Instead, Roy told him it would be best if he simply brought something to compliment the food and handed him a bottle of sweet red wine, telling him it would be the best thing for him to bring and had given him a wink. Rick had thanked Roy and left, leaving his irritation to remain out of it, as even though Roy had teased him, he was lending a helping hand so Rick would allow him this one. He was starting to wonder if Lisa was there when her door opened and he was greeted by the sight of the attractive young woman. She was wearing a simple long sleeved back v-neck with a white undershirt and a pain of dark blue denim jeans and her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She was smiling shyly at him as he entered, his mind having trouble thinking about anything other than how great she looked, which he blurted out moments after she had closed the door. Her face redened, but the smile remained.

"Thank you Rick." She spotted the wine bottle and gave an appreciative look. "I see you brought something to drink."

"Yeah. Roy gave it to me when I mentioned helping to cook." He muttered, embarrassed.

Lisa's smile faltered at his statement.

"Roy...knows about this?" Her nerves shooting through the ceiling.

Rick didn't notice as his eyes were locked on his feet. He didn't want to admit he really had no skill in the kitchen, but owed it to her.

"Yeah, I told him I was having dinner with a friend and offered to cook. He reminded me about the melted bowl from my microwave disaster." He told her, embarrassed.

Lisa felt two things at that moment, relief that Rick hadn't actually told Roy who he was having dinner with, and the other sure amusement at Rick's statement.

"You melted a bowl in a microwave? How did you do that?" She asked him as the two headed into the kitchen.

"I was six and didn't know to add water to the ramen I was trying to make." He answered, his nose being assaulted by the wonderful aroma coming from the stove. "What are you making?"

"I have been craving lasagna since we left earth and decided to make my Grandfather's recipe." She told him, checking on the pan in the oven. "For sides, store bought garlic bread and salad." She turned to see him place the wine bottle on the counter.

"It smells and sounds delicious. How long till it's done?"

"Not long." She laughed as she saw him looking hungrily at the stove. "Help me set the table?"

Rick went to work putting the plates and utensils out as the woman in the kitchen returned to preparing the meal. She had to admit, it felt nice to have someone over for dinner and company. Perhaps they'd do this more in the future. Her mind began imagining that possibility and it betrayed her with thoughts of what a relationship with Rick would be like. It was so unreal. So surreal. So...she felt her heart swell at how fulfilling it was to her mind. Rick had been a great friend and she was willing to admit he was a great man, one any woman would be lucky to have. One that she should have and would have had in her life had Karl survived. That thought made her freeze up. Was she trying to replace Karl with Rick? That wouldn't be fair to either of them. And she had only recently closed the door on that part of her life, having placed the photo album she had with pictures of her and Karl in storage. While most wouldn't bat an eyelash at such a mundane gesture, Claudia had been speechless that she had finally decided to move on. It was very symbolic for her. No, she thought, she wasn't replacing Karl, merely letting another finally in close to her. Maybe Claudia was right. Maybe she should see if Rick was open to the idea and see where it would lead. But could she? She decided to think on it later and went back to work.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So Roy decides he wanted to have a little fun and buzzed the control tower. The guy up there had ended up spilling his huge cup of cola right down the front of his shirt when Rick made his pass." Rick chuckled. "Oh man, Pops' was furious with him."

Lisa laughed right along with Rick. The two had had a pleasant dinner and were now swapping stories of their lives with each other. Lisa had told him about an incident with a frog that had happened to her when she was at summer camp that resulted in her growing to dislike the amphibians. Or the time she had ended up breaking her father's model F-14 when she was a kid. Rick had returned the stories in kind as the two steadily made their way through the wine bottle, leaving both more than a little tipsy. Rick looked at Lisa as her musical laughter filled the room. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she was when she was relaxed. His mind began asking question like how it would feel to be the one to always make her laugh like that. How would it feel to have him greet him at the end of a long patrol with her warm smile. He found himself wondering how it would feel to kiss her. A thought he found hard to keep down and he changed the subject.

"I hope you don't mind me asking Lisa, but why did it take you so long to open up like this?" He asked. "I know you have to be hard on us. Otherwise, you'd have people like Ben and Roy darting all around the sky and making a mess of things." He joked.

"Or you." She retorted, a teasing smile on her face. "Or need I bring up your first combat sortie."

"Second, actually." He teased back in humor, both recalling his horrible first flight in a veritech.

"Okay, first official sortie after joining." She laughed, feeling really warm and good from the wine.

"See, that's exactly what I mean." He pointed out. "You're such a great person and really fun to spend time with. And you have a beautiful smile."

"Oh...thank you Rick! That's really sweet of you to say." She answered, looking at him shyly through her lashes. "I really appreciate you telling me that. I really do. And I'm enjoying all the talks we've had and spending time with you." She dropped her gaze to the coffee table in front of the couch they were sitting on, wine glass cupped between her hands as she thought of how to answer. "I guess the best way to say it is I just fell into being a stern woman. It was really a defense against being hurt by a personal loss again. But you know about that too don't you?" She asked quietly.

Rick nodded sadly.

"Yes. I do." He answered, equally as softly. "For a long time, I hated Roy for it. I know it wasn't his fault, but I couldn't help it. I had grown up with two brothers in my mind. Roy had been there for as long as Jack had. They were best friends. But I couldn't stop blaming Roy or the UN. I lost a lot of time with Roy because of my anger, time I really am trying to make up for."

"I know what you mean. I blamed my father for Karl as he had been the one to sign the transfer paperwork." She brought up the memory with a wince at her behavior. "I was so righteous in my pain and anger when I accused him of killing Karl. I didn't know how much I had hurt him by that until I met Captain Gloval for the first time. He'd told me about how much my father blamed himself and it made me realize just how wrong I had been."

They two sat in contemplative silence for several minutes before Rick let out an amused snort that made Lisa give him a curious look.

"Look at us. Almost a perfect match for personality." He explained.

"But different enough so we don't butt heads." Lisa countered.

"We still do that." He paused before he let out an amused chuckle. "We seem to act like a married couple."

Lisa stiffened beside him, her thoughts turning back to her earlier train of though. Rick had mistook her stiffening as a sign she didn't like the analogy and tried to apologize.

"I'm sorry Lisa. I didn't mean to make this awkward." Curse his wine clouded mind and damn Roy for suggesting it.

"It's alright Rick. I admit, I wonder if I've been missing out to be honest." She said with a demure expression towards him. "I'm jealous that Claudia has such a happy relationship and how much she seems to cherish it."

"Well, I'm not jealous of Claudia, but I do admit that Roy is a lucky man." He paused and became sheepish. "He actually likes to make fun of my lack of a love life."

He had no idea why he said that or why it just popped from his mind to his mouth, but by the surprised look on Lisa's face he knew she was intrigued.

"But you and Minmei...I mean it's just hard to believe you haven't. You are very handsome." She admitted, turning shy eyes towards her glass and feeling the flames in her cheeks.

"Oh...um, thanks Lisa." _Way to sound lame Hunter_. "But yes, honestly, nothing happened between me and Minmei when we were trapped. It actually just felt...weird I guess." He finished with an uncertain tone.

"Maybe you knew she wasn't right for you." Lisa offered.

Rick gave an incline of his head for her point.

"I guess that's true. Still doesn't change the fact Roy has taken to calling me Luke recently."

Lisa's eyes widened, wanting to laugh as she fully understood the reference.

"Just don't try blowing up a space station with out using your targeting system there Skywalker." She teased.

"Oh ha ha." Rick muttered with amusement. "Just don't ask me to lift a veritech with just my mind."

Lisa laughed at the mental image of Rick trying to lift a veritech with the force while a small green version of Roy Fokker watched on disapprovingly. Rick joined her, picturing something similar in his head as Lisa struggled to stay up right from her laughing fit and ended up sliding sideways onto Rick's left shoulder. She slowly seemed to get over it, with a few giggles escaping her and Rick could not tear his eyes away from this wondrous woman next to him. He felt more intoxicated from her than the wine, his heart beating faster and his breath coming up short.

"What are you doing to me?" He wondered out loud.

Lisa turned her face up and gave him an adorable confused look.

"What do you mean Rick? I haven't done anything to you."

He felt himself get lost in her emerald green eyes and brought his right hand to her cheek. Lisa felt the butterflies burst forth and her eyes seemed unable to break from the now darkened blue orbs. Her mind had froze, the only thought going through it was asking if this was really happening. Was Rick Hunter really going to kiss her? Almost as if in a dream, Rick leaned his head down just enough, and captured Lisa's lips with his own. She seemed to be in shock for a split second, before she closed her eyes, her own hand moving from her glass to the beck of his head. The kiss lasted for several seconds, the pair completely in bliss until a startled gasp caused them to break apart. The two turned as one to the door and saw a gobsmacked Claudia eyeing them both in pure shock. They quickly sprang apart, faces so red they looked ready to explode and Rick quickly apologized to Lisa and hurried out of the door and back to his barracks, cursing his stupidity on kissing her. All the while, Lisa was still trying to come to grips with what had happened and tried to smash down the sudden irritation she felt at Claudia for interrupting her. The dark skinned woman slowly came to her senses, smiling in amusement before it dropped off quickly in realization of what she had just done. She gave a sheepish wave.

"Oh uh...sorry Lisa. I was just coming to check up on you."

"Claudia..." Lisa growled out. "Why didn't you knock?" She demanded, part of her in embarrassment, the other part outraged from having such a wonderful kiss, a feeling she had not felt in a long time, interrupted. Claudia's amused smirk came back.

"I did. I guess that kiss you two were sharing really was something." She teased right before a couch cushion sailed at her, eliciting an outraged squawk from the her.

"You...you..." Lisa tried to sound upset, but fund it harder and harder to keep the goofy grin off her face from the memory of the Kiss. She just sighed and sunk to the couch in defeat. "You win Claudia. I can't believe how wonderful it felt!"

Her best friend slid onto the chair across from her, a happy smile on her face for her friend.

"Tell me all about it Lisa."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick was curing himself for his foolish actions. He had kissed his friend. His beautiful and funny and...no. He put those thoughts on hold. That's what got him into this mess. He was miserable as he realized he had probably just ruined everything and dropped onto his bunk, laying back and covering his face with his hands. Why did he do that? Why?! The door to his room opened and a concerned familiar voice called out to him.

"What's wrong Rick?"

He took a peek and groaned. Of all the people to show up, it had to be Roy. The man plopped down on his desk chair and kicked his feet up on the edge of the bed, his gaze concerned.

"I didn't hear of any rooms being burned to the ground so what's the problem?" Roy asked, leaning the chair back.

Rick muttered something and Roy frowned. Whatever had happened had certainly shaken his brother. The only word he understood was Lisa.

"Say that again, clearly this time." Roy teased.

He figured it was something minor, like a bad compliment or something. He truly did not expect the answer he would get.

"I kissed Lisa."

A loud thump and a yelp of pain caused Rick to sit up and look over to Roy where he had fallen back in the chair and was rubbing the impact site on his head with stunned disbelief. He couldn't have heard that right.

"You did what?"

Rick throw himself back on his bed in frustration.

"I said I kissed Lisa, Roy. I've just screwed everything up." He replied miserably.

As much as Roy really wanted to tease his brother for being so forward with the Commander, he knew this wasn't the time for it. Rick was clearly worried he'd done something damaging to his relationship with Lisa and it was getting to him. He supposed it natural as Rick had been missing the signs from Lisa that she cared for him more than a friend, but both of them had been too stubborn to admit it. And now, with it out in the open so to speak, Rick wasn't sure how to handle it.

"How do you know you screwed everything up? Did Lisa seem upset? Push you away? What?" Roy asked pointedly.

"Well no...she seemed to like it." Rick answered slowly. "But she's my friend Roy. And my superior officer! Do you know how bad this looks?"

"You mean as bad as chasing after a junior officer and dating her for four years?" He asked sarcastically. "Yes Rick. I know. And I've been where you are. Now did you talk to Lisa or just run off after kissing her?" Roy already figured the answer from Rick's earlier statements. He was going to tell his little idiot brother that he would need to go back and talk to her about it.

"I didn't get the chance too." He said miserably. "It felt so good and then Claudia barged in. After that, I came to my senses and ran."

Roy blinked in surprise. Wasn't Claudia supposed to be on the bridge to cover for one of the sick night crew? He filed that away for later as he knew she'd tell him. They trusted one another so it wasn't concerning if something changed. Besides, he had a more pressing issues.

"So you didn't talk to her." He sighed. "Rick, you need to. You are going to go back, and talk to that young lady or so help me Rick Hunter, I will have you scrubbing the landing bay from top to bottom with an old tooth brush."

"But...what if Claudia is still there?"

"What about it? I'm going with you anyway to make sure you do talk to Lisa. You can always ask to talk to her alone ya know." Roy pointed out.

Rick really didn't want to face Lisa in fear she'd blow up on him and was looking for a way out of this. A sharp rap on his door brought the two Aces to turn their attention to it.

"Rick, is Roy in there?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Claudia waited impatiently for the door to open while Lisa seemed to be more interested in her feet than talking to her Flyboy.

"This can wait, can't it?" Lisa whined softly, worried that Rick was having second thoughts or that he felt he made a huge mistake. All this did was make her so much more depressed despite how the kiss had put her on cloud nine. She really couldn't lose Rick's friendship and Alcohol had been involved so she just chalked it up to him being drunk.

"Oh no Lisa. He has a lot of nerve just rushing off like that." Claudia stated sternly. "He could have very well asked to talk to you instead of running away."

"I couldn't agree more." Roy said as he pulled open the door just in time to catch the statement. "Which is why I was about to drag him off to talk to you about it. You both need to sit down and discuss this like adults, not like scared kids."

He looked back at a mortified Rick and stepped out of the room. Lisa felt herself ushered into Rick's room and Claudia closed the door with a soft click behind her. The two looked to one another.

"You think they'll work it out?" She wondered.

Roy shrugged, hoping for the best but aware of the worst case scenario.

"We'll find out tomorrow. Come on, let's head home.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa looked over at Rick shyly as he remained silent. The minutes ticked by as the two remained silent. Rick took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"Lisa-"

"Rick."

Both stopped before laughing at trying to talk at the same time. Lisa took a breath and looked him in the eyes while Rick nodded to her to go first.

"Awkward?" She began.

Rick gave a shaky nod.

"Yeah. Just a bit."

The silence returned before Lisa decided to lead this downward discussion.

"Rick...why did you kiss me?" She asked.

Rick's eyes dropped to the floor and he sat up before motioning her to join him. He felt the bed dip slightly from the added wight and gave a defeated sigh.

"I...I don't know Lisa. It just felt right. It's...you've been on my mind pretty often since Mars. And seeing you in the pageant...especially that bathing suit..." He trailed off, both if them sporting red faces at the mention of the swimsuit. "It's...when you were laying up against me...well...it just sorta clicked."

Lisa placed a hand on Rick's shoulder, watching him struggle to express himself.

"What clicked Rick?" She kept her tone concerned, but on the inside she was hopeful he may like her as more than a friend, and she'd be lying if she said tonight hadn't finally got her to open her eyes to the possibility of being involved with one Rick Hunter. His eyes locked onto her's for the second time that evening.

"That I like you more than as a friend." He noted her shocked look and figured she hadn't wanted to hear that and it started to break him again. "I know. Foolish of me. It's just...you are so far out of my league but I can't help it. You're smart, gentle, beautiful..." He began,

Lisa tried not to blush at his words and tried to stop him, but he kept going.

"I mean, I know you're my superior officer and there are a ton of regulations against any relationship beyond friendship between us."

"Rick-" She started, some annoyance making itself known.

"And I'd pretty sure you don't look at me as possible boyfriend material. I'm-"

Whatever else he was going to say to talk down on the possibility of them being together was silenced thoroughly by the quick and timely actions of Lisa, who was getting very annoyed that Her Flyboy was being stubborn once again. The only way to shut him up long enough for her to speak was simple. She used her free hand to turn his face to her, seeing the pain there in his blue eyes at what he perceived to be rejection and leaned her head over and kissed him. It was Rick's turn to be stunned by someone's frowardness and for only a moment, he was too shocked to move. He slowly began kissing her back, wrapping his left arm around her waist to pull her into his side. Lisa for her part, circled her arms around his neck. The pair remained locked together for several seconds before Lisa slowly pulled back and locked her eyes directly on his, her own shyness blown to the four winds and a dazzling smile on her face that made his heart melt.

"Rick. Are you really sure you want to go out with me?"

He found his voice, barely.

"Yes."

Her eyes seemed to be ablaze with joy at his words.

"Then let's give it a shot. What do you say flyboy?"

Rick slowly began to grin at her, which did funny things to her insides at the cocky grin.

"If you're sure you want to."

"I'm sure."

They simply remained where they were, the comfortable silence and the feeling of how right this was passing between them. Rick glanced at his clock and winced before looking back to the lovely lady he was holding.

"I think you should probably head back home. It's almost midnight."

Lisa's eyes widened before a look of understanding crossed her face. It was way to soon to stay the night at Rick's. After all, they had literally just decided to give a relationship a try and both knew it wouldn't be easy. She reluctantly broke her embrace and the pair rose as one and headed for the door. Lisa turned to Rick and gave him a quick kiss good night before leaving, her face still red from the wonderful feeling the kisses had given her. Rick for his part, had a goofy smile on his face as he closed the door and headed for bed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick woke the next morning, feeling fully rested and happy. He glanced at his clock and shut the alarm off, having woken at 0615. Fifteen minutes early! He hummed happily as he went about his morning routine, feeling far more refreshed than he ever had. After last night, it seemed as if an invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Today was a brand new day and Rick felt right. He blushed lightly, thinking of Lisa and donned his uniform with finesse before heading out. As per normal routine, he knocked on Max's door and gave his wingman a cheerful grin.

"Morning Max! Great day huh?"

Max looked at him, bemused as Rick accepted the offered coffee and the pair headed down to meet up with Ben.

"Relaxing night Skipper?" He asked him, already figuring it had been.

Rick gave an easy grin after he took the first sip from the fresh cup of joe.

"You could say that Max. I haven't felt this happy in years."

Max smiled, happy for his friend/flight lead. He knew the man had been stressed out for a long time, even well before Max had joined the RDF. He looked up to Rick as an older brother, something that was impossible not to happen if you served with someone for long periods of time. So he was honestly curious about what had made him so cheery but refrained from prying. Rick would tell him when he was good and ready. The pair spotted Ben, who seemed just has peppy as he always did and gave them an enthusiastic wave.

"Hey guys! Great day isn't it?" He asked with a laugh, but noticed that Rick seemed to be very very happy. Usually, Ben said it just to tease his flight lead in a friendly way, having long ago considered Rick to be one of his few friends besides Max.

"It is, isn't it Ben? Come on, lets get the day started." Rick greeted, leading the other two onto the transport with only one thought.

Just what happened to make him so cheerful this morning?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa stepped onto the bridge, a silly little smile on her face as she once again, recounted in her mind the events from last night. She made her way to her console as the night shift headed off, having officially ended their shift, the one who was sick had came in despite Claudia telling her not to was headed off to medical. Lisa hummed softly as she sipped her morning drink, glancing through the reports, not noticing the questioning look from the trio or the knowing smirk from Claudia. Once Lisa was satisfied with the reports, sipped her drink again before placing in in the cup holder built into the consoles.

"All right ladies, status report."

"Radar systems are up and running Commander. No contacts." Kim reported first, and the others followed suit, satisfying Lisa that the ship was operating at peak effeminacy.

A dull thud followed by a stream of Russian curses signaled Captain Gloval stepping onto the bridge. They really needed to see about getting that fixed as it would do no good if the ship's captain knocked himself out in the process of getting onto his own bridge. The tall man made his way to his chair, one hand holding a steaming mug the other fixing his cover that had been knocked upwards from the abrupt impact on the hatch frame.

"Good morning ladies. What is our status?"

"Still on course towards Earth sir. No sign still from our pursuers." Lisa reported.

"Very good. Has the CAP rotated out yet?"

"They are in process sir."

The captain nodded his satisfaction as Lisa approached with the ship status reports from the night shift. Gloval accepted them and noticed a glow about Lisa. Whatever change had come about, he could clearly see the happiness in her eyes and it warmed his heart. All of the girls had become surrogate daughters to him. After all, he had no children of his own, but these young ladies had become just as important to him.

"Thank you Lisa. You appear to be fairly cheerful this morning. More so than normal." He commented, his eyes turning to the reports before him.

Lisa just smiled and returned to her console, all the while the rest of the girls on the bridge watched her like a hawk. Claudia couldn't contain her curiosity even though she knew what probably happened and approved if it had played out like she thought.

"The Captain's right Lisa. Care to share your secret with us?" Claudia teased.

Lisa smirked but kept her eyes on her screen.

"Let's just say I took your advice and leave it at that."

The Trio wouldn't understand why a victorious look appeared on Claudia's face from the response for sometime to come. And when they did, none of them were truly shocked at what had changed with Lisa.

* * *

 **So yeah, the two have finally gotten past their barriers and have only just begin. Next chapter will get back on course with the main storyline which means everyone's favorite crazed Zentradi will be making a special guest appearence. I will not post spoilers, but if you've seen the show, you know what's coming next. So stay tuned, drop a review, or I feed a Unicorn to Khyron!**


	5. Chapter 5 A Beautiful Day!

**A/N: Ahhh it feels good to be writing again. Well, a new chapter! Since as stated before, I am unemployed at present, I have been able to devote a good deal of time to this story and the transfer from notebook to electronic. Now before you get to start reading this chapter, I feel the need to answer a few reviews here:**

 **Giulio: The opinion on Rick having a brother in this story...wouldn't you know that I had completely overlooked the possibility of maybe saying his Mom had been a civilian researcher on Mars? Miss chanced there for this story. Hmm...but maybe a good idea for a later one? Hmm...**

 **Fer: Minmei...ah sweet Minmei...I seemed to have slipped into a Hate Minmei Phase when writing this the first time, and it was before I had seen the follow up series to RoboTech. So...whoops. And yeah, you are spot on with how Cannon Lisa and Rick were, but to be fair, we've all been there before (Well, no one I dated died when I was with them, if I'm lucky my ex will...cheater...). And yup! Whole idea of this is if Rick used his brain for once(Which Roy had attempted to beat into his thick skull). And as for Lisa being a sought after bachelorett now (Can't spell it. Auto Correct keeps saying bachelor)...that actually will be dealt with in a sad chapter to come. No one dies...but still.**

 **Andrew: I really thank you for all of your reviews. They are always fun to read and insightful! I highly request an update to Second Chances when you can my friend, as your story and swong74's sadly incomplete Back To The Stars, your work actually was the drive for me to post my story. And dude, I love Stargate: New Frontier! Best AU Stargate story I have read to date! Actually, both are just pure amazing and I really am looking forward to further chapters! We gotta keep RoboTech/Macross Alive!**

 **CaptMacca: Glad you are enjoying it so far. It makes me think maybe, just maybe, I should actually finish up my novel that's been gathering dust all these years and finish writing it. And appreciate that you feel I have been keeping the characters true to who they are and will eventually become. That is something I have been trying to do as while being slightly OC for this point in the story is okay, suddenly having Lisa and Rick do the deed and...ahem...Procreate as Exedore would say...would be way too over the top. I think if they had gotten together as early as I have them, I'd like to think Lisa would want to err on the side of caution, not wanting a horrible mess if it didn't work out. I'm also trying to keep the evolution of their relationship as realistic as I can. I've always found it odd how accepting their command was of her dating her subordinate. I'm a US Marine Corps vet and fraternization is very very frowned upon. And I'm also a dude and let's face it, we tend not to be very good with emotions and such.**

 **Alright, on to the tale! Bit of action here and leading right into the total Charlie Foxtrot caused by Khyron. If you've seen the show, you know what I am talking about once you get to it. If you haven't...well watch the show then come back and read! The divergence point from Cannon is coming soon and things will get a little more interesting!**

* * *

Chapter 5

The three man formation eased into another gentle turn, completing the latest lap of the combat air patrol, or the race track loop as some called it, and easily knifed through space as if in the clear blue skies of Earth. The three fighters, each with distinctive red, yellow, or blue paint schemes, were keeping an eye out for any enemy ships that could be trying to ambush the mighty battlefortress they each called home. Rick Hunter, the flight leader, took a sharp eyed look that each pilot maintained during the patrol, keen blue eyes searching for any sign of an enemy battlepod. He took a short glance at the scopes, and was both satisfied and bored that once again, nothing appeared to be amiss. Off his aft port quarter, keeping a modest spacing from him, was Ben Dixon, who had been rather silent this patrol. Rick clicked his squad com on and brought up both wingman, Ben looking depressed and Max looking as professional and cheerful as he always did.

"Hey Ben. What's wrong? You've been down all day. I don't need to tell you how weird that is." Rick remarked, his calm gaze turning to his com panel.

Ben seemed to give a halfhearted shrug, his mopey expression looking completely out of place for the normally cheerful, and talkative, pilot Rick knew so well. He wasn't kidding at how off it was to see Ben looking like someone closed down his favorite steak joint this morning and his mood had certainly not improved. Max shook his head in mirth after glancing at his friends face, seeing the same expression as Rick.

"He got turned down Skipper." Max explained, the dark clouds of depression seemed to hover over Ben's head, having the affect on the two other pilots of bringing amused looks to their faces.

"Ah...of course. Now those are troubles I know very well." Rick spoke in an amused tone.

Max gave a laugh and even Ben smiled at the statement, both well aware of his failed attempt with one Lynn Minmei those few short months ago. They just didn't know he and Lisa were going to give it a shot. The robust pilot let out a dejected sigh.

"I don't know why it's so hard to find someone to date." He complained.

"Ah buck up Ben. It's not all doom and gloom. The right one will come along. I just hope she likes steak as much as you do." Max teased.

"Very funny Max." Ben gave a smile, showing he wasn't offended. "What about you, oh great ladies man?" He retorted, attempting to sound haughty but failed miserably.

"Well no one has caught my eye yet, but I'm still looking." Max answered back with a matter of fact tone.

"Maybe we just found a call sign for you Max. How does hound do ya?" Rick teased, his gaze once more sweeping out across space.

"What about your side life Skipper?"

Rick smirked as he rechecked the scopes like he had been doing for the last three hours before wagging a finger at his men in the com.

"A gentleman never kisses and tells boys." He gave a wink at the panel, making the other two fight not to laugh. "I'll have you know I'm already involved with a very lovely lady. A lady who can dance better than anyone else and handles like a dream." He grinned devilishly as the other two snickered, knowing where this was going. "I only wish it was possible to marry this wonderful machine I'm driving right now. She's not let me down yet." He finished with a fond smile.

"Don't think there are any rules against it, but good luck finding someone to officiate the wedding." Max laughed, while Ben let out a chuckle of his own.

"And there is the problem Max." Rick laughed out.

His center com kicked on, displaying an bemused Lisa Hayes, the bridge able to hear the friendly conversation the three were having that was good entertainment to all.

"If you are done flirting with your veritech Lieutenant Hunter," She began, trying not to let her amusement show in her voice, "it's time for you boys to head back to the barn. Patrol is complete."

Max laughed as Rick sent a mock scowl at Lisa, returning the scowl with a raised elegant eyebrow in response from the green eyed woman.

"And what a dozy of a patrol it was Commander. I'm happy to get out of it alive! Whew!" Ben spoke up, causing Rick to look away completely as he began silently shaking with laughter. Lisa felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards in an amused smirk.

"Indeed it was Ben. I was worried on that last turn you know. I'm glad you had my back buddy" Max put his two cents in as well, smirking in the com. "Such a dangerous patrol, flying in circles and all. Space dust could have gotten us."

Rick couldn't keep his laughter out of his voice as he told the two clowns to knock it off and asked Lisa for a landing bay. With an amused look on her face that she tried so hard to hide, she gave them bay two as it was clear at present. Rick signed off and lead his flight in, coming around to the port side for landing.

"You know, the Commander has been acting different recently." Ben noted as the three fighters finished their turn onto the proper heading. "She's a lot more relaxed."

"I know what you mean Ben. I think spending all that time with Skipper has been a positive influence on her."

Rick shook his head as the two started gossiping.

"Commander Fokker said more of a bad influence." Ben replied to Max.

Rick cocked an eyebrow as his wingman gave him an innocent smile.

"Really now? Well if anything Roy was a bad influence on me." Rick fired back, but with no heat in his voice. It was all good fun for them.

The other two smirked as Rick signaled the landing Controller for Bay two.

"Control, Vermilion One, we are in the pattern, requesting landing clearance." Rick radioed.

While Lisa was the primary controller and could clear them to land, it was still policy on the massive vessel that once planes were cleared to return, control for landing was handed off to the LSOs to handle the final landing while the flight controller took over for the fresh planes being launched.

"Roger Vermilion One. Maintain heading for final landing. Speed is at two-one-zero knots, call the ball."

Rick spotted the colored array that would help to guide him and his team in for a safe landing.

"Copy. Speed two-one-zero, course is zero-zero-five relative. I have the ball."

The three planes angled themselves to glide into the bay, using reverse thrusters to bring their speed down so that the MagNet would catch them with out ripping the plane apart. Rick watched his speed indicator as the MagNet seemed to slow him to a stop and was once more, thankful for the inertial dampaners installed on the fighters. Otherwise, even with his speed down to forty knots by the time they entered the bay, it would have been uncomfortable for them. The planes were slowly lowered to the elevator that engaged once their wheels touched down on the deck, and Rick couldn't wait to leave the plane and stretch. Three hours of flying in circles was pretty boring.

"Hey, Rick. Me and Ben are going to the White Dragon soon as we debrief. Wanna join us?"

"Love to Max, but I have other plans." He began to pull his gloves off as the platform steadily descended. "Commander Hayes wants to go over a few of my ideas with the training of new recruits some time today. Roy took some of my ideas up the chain and she was pretty impressed. Wants to implement them into the existing training program." Rick explained as the elevator finished it's ride down into the bay. "Need to be ready when E.T. stops by again."

"Well, guess it can't be helped. To be honest though, I'm finding it rather disturbing we haven't been attacked in a while." Max commented and Ben nodded his agreement, looking more like his old self now. Rick found himself agreeing with the younger man.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." He responded lightly as the bay lights glowed amber as atmosphere and gravity were restored. "They have been hounding us pretty bad across the solar system and now...nothing? Something is really off." He commented.

The cycle completed and the green lights blazed brightly, as the ground crews rolled the towers over to pulled the planes to their respective bays. Rick popped his canopy and waited mere seconds before the ladder for his bird extended, allowing the man to exit his plane and plant his boots firmly on the deck of the SDF-1's hanger bay. He gave a short greeting to his crew Chief before he and his team headed off to the briefing room, and spoke with Roy. The conversation took ten minutes before Roy gave them the okay to clear for the day. Rick and crew parted ways at the barracks to clean up from the days training mission this morning and the Patrol they had just completed. Rick sighed, relaxing as he dropped into his chair, his flight uniform still on. He was so tempted to take a nap, but a sudden beeping from his com unit broke him from his planning. He spun the chair and clicked it on. The face on the other end brought a smile to his face.

"Business or personal?" He grinned teasingly at the image of one smirking Lisa Hayes.

"Personal for the moment Fly boy. I'm on a break and figured I'd call you real quick." She explained, her green orbs showing amusement. "Do you have the plans you brought up yesterday?"

"Could have sworn you said this was a personal call."

Lisa gave him sweet smile.

"I did and it ties in nicely to asking if you wanted to have dinner tonight. We can go over your ideas and spend some time together." She explained, checking briefly to ensure no one was listening in on her private conv

Rick snorted. She was trying to kill two birds with one stone and decided to roll with it. It had only been a few days since they last had dinner together and he would freely admit it would be fun even if it was a working dinner. The two had agreed it would be difficult for them at this point and time to spend any real time together and avoid anyone catching onto their new relationship. It made Rick want to smirk at how sly Lisa could be.

"I'm gonna guess your place?" He stated.

"Well I would like to eat something other than take out. And since you can't really cook..." She trailed off, her eyes twinkling brightly as she gave a teasing smile.

"Oh ha ha Lisa." Rick's voice rich with humor from her jab at him. It was his own fault anyway. "That sounds good. What time does your shift end?"

"Not until 1730. So you have some time to get cleaned up if you want." Knowing he probably was smelling a little on the ripe end of the spectrum.

"Pretty sure I'd rather not smell like an old gym sock for our date Lisa." He saw her nose wrinkle is disgust at that statement. "What time?"

"Thanks for such a thoughtful sacrifice Rick." She dryly retorted. "1900 sound okay?"

Rick nodded, his heart still swelling with happiness at how things had gone so far. Of course Roy told him it was always that way when you started a serious relationship with someone you liked. Eventually, he'd get used to it but Rick hoped Roy was wrong about that. He always wanted to feel like he was the luckiest guy in the universe every time he thought of Lisa. Lisa gave him a sweet smile.

"Good. I'll see you then Fly Boy. And leave the wine at home." She blew him a kiss before she signed off, leaving Rick with a goofy smile on his face. He wondered if it would always be like this with her, and found himself really hoping it was.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The rest of the week passed smoothly for them. It was really beginning to concern them as it had been over four weeks since Sara Base with out any sign of the enemy outside of one or two small skirmishes that seemed to be over just as quickly as the stated. It was a refreshed Lisa Hayes that entered the bridge the next morning, humming happily as she took her station. It never ceased to amuse Claudia at how happy Lisa was now and it had only been a week since she and Rick had started dating. It had really balanced out the demand that had risen for her to speak to the press and make guest appearances at the Recruitment Office and for other events that had been thought up for the Poster Girl of the RDF to be seen by the public. Even her and Roy hadn't been as happy the first week together. But she knew that with both of them being rather hard headed and hot headed, there would be arguments down the road, but Claudia felt confident that they would weather them and come out stronger. She had shared her hunch that Rick and Lisa would remain together for a long time with Roy, who showed his actual intellect instead of his jester side, agreed as he saw them to be two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. Oh yes, they both had their flaws, but they also brought out the best in each other, even well before they finally got passed that whole friends only thing. The only downside was that Lisa was still being somewhat pessimistic, asking, well ordering her and Roy, to keep her budding relationship with Rick under wraps. Both had agreed as it wouldn't look to good on them and also they really didn't need the rumor mill circulating wild stories about them. As much as Claudia wanted to brag about how right she had been to Lisa, she was too happy for her friend to tease her...okay, if she was honest, she didn't tease her too much.

"Good morning Lisa. Looking cheerful as ever. Things go well?"

Lisa just nodded, a silly little grin on her face as she went over reports. Things in her personal life had been getting better and the past week was definitely the highlight so far, having gone out with Rick to a movie last night, that while she enjoyed it, knew it had to have bored him, But he tried to be interested in it and she just found it so adorable how charming and sweet Rick could be. The only embarrassing spot was when Rick had pointed out, with much amusement, the Recruitment ad plaster on the nearest billboard that proudly displayed a full body shot of Lisa in her formal RDF Uniform, saluting the camera. The night ended with them cuddled on her couch for an hour, enjoying the closeness of each other before had to leave. The Trio bubbled with giggles at her expression, having wondered if she had actually started seeing someone. They had been trying to figure it out since the first day Lisa had walked onto the bridge looking like she had won the lottery. They yearned to hear all the little juicy details about what ever it was that had changed her so much that they would have almost sworn someone had switched out Lisa for a body double. Claudia gave a mock scolding look toward the young ladies, the amusement in her eyes betraying her as she spoke.

"Now, now girls. Settle down. Only one of us can interrogate our beloved Commander at a time."

The Trio giggled loudly as Captain Gloval entered the room, pausing as he took in the humorous atmosphere. He really didn't need to question what the source was as he could hear Lisa humming away as she diligently manned her console. His heart swelled in happiness for her as he felt it was more than overdue for her to find some love in this world. He'd not tell her yet that he fully approved with the man she had decided to invest her heart into. It wouldn't due to upstage the Terrible Trio with that little nugget he had obtained just from using some of his mastery of knowing how to read between the lines and had to play the clueless Captain until well after Lisa came forth with her new found source of happiness. He smothered a smile and gave a short cough, snapping the crew back into duty. He didn't truly mind that they acted human during their shift as they each knew when it was acceptable. One thing Henry would be telling UN Spacey Command was how proud he was of them and how much they had grown into fine upstanding officers. He greeted the girls and took his place at his command chair, sighing as he leaned back and readied himself for another long day.

"I know this has become a repetitive question, but is the enemy fleet still jamming all of our communications?" He asked once more and expecting the same exact answer.

Every since they had misfolded out to Pluto, the SDF had been cut off from any and all communications from Earth. They had attempted all different approaches to get some word to Earth that they were alive and fighting their way across the almost 39 AU back to the ball of blue they called home. It was annoying that the aliens had been able to block their every attempt. At one point, a frustrated Captain Gloval was sorely tempted to shoot a note in an airtight container towards Earth just to accomplish something. He mentally tipped his hat once more to the tenacious enemy commander for whoever the being was, they were truly a worthy adversary in his opinion. This whole trip had forced Henry and his crew to rise up to unanticipated challenges and to overcome them with their sheer ingenuity. Take Lisa for example. The Daedalus Maneuver was truly a stroke of genius that had saved them in the Rings of Saturn. But it seemed that no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't get past the admittedly advanced jamming. Doctor Lang had seemed ready to strangle someone last time Henry checked on the progress he was making to break through. Truly a scary sight to Henry.

He was so used to the expected answer that the jamming was present, that he blinked for several seconds in pure shock before checking with Sammie as she simply stared at her display with surprise. Around the bridge, they each shared a surprise expression as they had never been able to clear the jamming. His face took on a thoughtful appearance, the light casting shadows over his face from his cover.

"Is that so." Henry mused. "Hmmm...we need to take advantage of this. Commander Grant, please transmit our prepared data burst to Earth Headquarters before the enemy jamming begins again. We must take advantage of this momentary break in jamming. Hopefully, Headquarters will be able to provide the information we need to repair the many system that have begun to fail on board."

"Yes sir!" She quickly turned and began hurriedly punching in her commands as Vanessa gave a startled gasp.

"Captain! Incoming hostile contacts from our starboard fore quarter!"

Henry felt his eyes widen in surprise and quickly rose to his feet. Of course! The aliens knew they would jump at the chance to speak to their leaders and it would distract them long enough for them to launch an attack on the ship! They waited until they detected the data burst! Damn, he should have seen this coming!

"Launch the alert fighters! Lisa, who is on CAP?" He ordered as he turned his gaze to the tactical panel, showing several dozen red icons representing the hostiles and his eyes narrowed as more and more seemed to materialize. Lisa quickly checked her display and felt her stomach tighten in worry before she answered, fighting to keep her concern for a certain pilot from showing. Henry felt sympathy for her as did Claudia who had just finished sending the transmission and carrying out her orders to alert the crew on board.

"It's Vermilion sir. They have already moved to engage the leading elements of the enemy pods."

He nodded and watched as several more green contacts representing the veritechs belonging to Skull Squadron launch and they were headed out to engage the aliens as well. Henry sent out a silent prayer for a safe return for all of his men, despite knowing that some would not be coming home. In space, Rick cut his forward thrust, igniting his reverse engines at full, and swung his fighter around. The battlepod that had decided to get real friendly with Rick blew past him, trying to avoid the now wildly spinning fighter. With a deft flick of his wrist, Rick arrested the controlled spin and went full throttle and began chasing his prey. The target danced around, trying desperately attempting to shake Rick off.

"Oh no you don't buddy." Rick growled and tagged the pod with a short burst into what had been identified as a sweet spot. The 55mm armor piercing explosive tipped munitions chewed through the rather light armor and plowed into the pods reactor, tuning it into a small fireball that he blew through, debris pinging off his hull.

Rick checked on Ben as the man tried desperately to shake the bastard that was sticking to his six like a dog after a bone. Rick came about and feed fuel into his mighty engines, making the veritech respond like a finely tuned sports car. In his split second of narrow vision, a battlepod swung on his six. Rick manipulated his controls, avoiding what could have been a killing shot as the particle beams sliced right through the spot he had been, missing him by mere inches.

"Oh come on!" Rick cried in frustration, sending his fighter into a roll to avoid another blast aimed at his tail pipe.

"Hang on Skipper! Break right on three!" Max called over the squad link.

Rick grit his teeth, keeping the alien from getting a clean shot on him as he spotted the Veritech with blue highlights. He took a deep breath and yanked his stick to the right as Maxed called out his number, kicking his fighter into afterburner in an attempt to get back into position to bail out Ben who managed to nimbly dodge several particle bursts just by the skin of his teeth. He heard Max call out his kill as he was rolling in under the alien pod.

"Oh boy! This guy just won't quit!" Ben bit out as he once more rolled his plane away from more weapons fire, a sudden heat warning springing to life as the blast seared right past his canopy seams. "Need a little help here guys. I can't get him off my ass."

"Hang on Ben! I got him!" Rick called out.

His statement was proven true moments later as the 55mm cannon rounds tore into the cockpit cover, killing the enemy pilot and striking the lightly armored reactor. Ben breathed a sigh of relief as Rick pulled into formation beside him with Max.

"Thanks for the help Skipper. Appreciate you pulling my butt from the fire!" He radioed, gratitude coloring his voice.

"You'll pay me back eventually Ben. Let's get back to work!" Rick ordered.

The three planes formed back up and prepared for the next wave as on board the ship, Vanessa reported an incoming encoded communications burst from Earth. Henry nodded in satisfaction to the prompt response time as he watched more and more enemy contacts disappear from the scopes. Apparently, the new training that Commander Fokker had been putting their pilots through was really paying off as for the first time since this whole war started, they had a ten to one kill ratio against the enemy pods. For every veritech they lost, the enemy lost at least ten on average. And from the looks of it, Vermilion was really mauling the advance forces of the aliens, stalling out their attempt to overrun the human fighters. Those three were truly gifted pilots. He'd need to consider if promotions have truly been overdue for the exemplary preforming team. He took his seat in the command chair and gave Lisa a short nod.

"Go ahead and punch up the audio for me Lisa."

Lisa nodded, hitting the required controls while keeping half her attention on her board as Rick's unique transponder signal stood out among all of the others. She knew it was selfish, but she couldn't help herself from worrying about him. Claudia had warned her this would be the hardest part from her as Claudia had admitted to always have the fear that Roy's next mission could be his last but made sure to impress upon Lisa that in the end, it was worth it having her own Fly Boy. But damned if the worry wasn't gnawing at her as she kept her focus on her duty as an officer.

 _"Be safe and com back to me Rick."_ She allowed herself that simple prayer of safe return for a man who was truly capturing her heart. The speakers crackled briefly with static before the message began to play. Lisa listened to the transmission and fought hard to keep the disappointment off her face at the response they had gotten. It pretty much was telling them to stay away from Earth and play the bait for an enemy that was relentless in attacking the fortress. Just to by time which meant that they were expendable in the scheme of things. Claudia had voiced all of their mutual disgust and despair at Earth's rather callous request. The Captain fully agreed with her but he also understood that Earth needed more time to build up enough strength to repel the enemy. He only prayed the sacrifice he and his crew had just been asked to make would be enough as he remembered the early reports of how badly Earth's infant Space Navy had been torn into by the aliens. Meanwhile, Rick looked on in satisfaction as Ben took out the last Pod that had been attempting to get Max in it's sights.

"Well done guys. Looks like we got the last that slipped past Skull. What do you say we meet up with the rest of our boys and lend a hand." Rick suggested.

"Right with you Skipper." Max agreed, pulling up into formation of Rick's starboard wing.

"I'm ready to go!" The enthusiastic Ben came on before a sudden rapid beeping caught the steak loving ace's attention. "Hey, I'm losing fuel for some reason!" His confused voice making Rick look over at his veritech.

Rick did a double take before he opened his mouth.

"Ben, you got a leak in your forward tank lines! When'd you get hit?" Rick demanded, knowing that even the smallest damage could fatal in the cold unforgiving blackness of space. He really wasn't about to play with his men's lives.

"Must have tagged me in in the last few minutes of the skirmish." Ben tapped a few controls and frowned as he only managed to slow the fuel leak by shutting the main fuel lines off and kicking the system to the backups, which means the pod had mange to nip the secondary fuel transfer lines as well. "It's really just a scratch Skipper. I'm okay." Ben assured him, watching his fuel levels begin to dip into the reserve tanks. He hoped that the reserve fuel would hold out to finish the fight blazing some thirty miles out from them.

"No way Ben. Not with a fuel leak involved. I'd rather you not go up in a ball of flames if that fuel manages to ignite." Rick clicked his communications over to the command channel. "Bridge control, this is Vermilion Lead. I'm declaring an emergency and request permission to land immediately. Please respond."

The com panel clicked on showing the concerned expression on Lisa's face, her whole expression begging to know if he was hurt before schooling itself to the neutral look she had to put on for duty's sake. He knew she had to remain impartial during a mission and he didn't take offense.

"Vermilion lead, what is the nature of your emergency?" Her voice managed to remain professional, but Rick could hear the underlying concern for him that warmed his heart.

"One of my veritechs took a hit and is losing fuel. Sterling and I are pretty close to joker ourselves, but I'd rather none of my guys run out of gas." He told her calmly, all the while hoping she could see the fact he was perfectly fine with no new holes in him, least she tears a new one into Rick if he had been reckless and got himself hurt.

He watched her expression as she nervously bit her lower lip, Lisa seemed to be fighting with herself over a course of action and Rick understood why. A fuel leak was a problem, but one that _could_ be worked around if they needed to remain on station, something that had happened before with the unexpected enemy attack that the aliens had aborted not long into the fight. If she caved and let them return early, she'd seem to be showing favoritism towards Rick and his men over the other pilots, which would send out a bad message and could costs lives if their support was still needed. But if she refused, she would be going against her own training from the academy and she really didn't want any team to end up short handed if it could be avoided. She found an easy solution and tapped a few controls before broadcasting.

"Skull Leader, what is your status?"

Roy clicked in, a cocky grin on his face.

"Just fine here. Mopping up the last of their fighters. Go ahead and let Vermilion land Lisa, they've done more than enough to give some leeway." Roy grinned wider before he gave her a wink.

Lisa scowled at him before he signed off and her gaze returned to Rick with a small smile and relief on her face. She schooled her features quickly, putting back her business like demeanor that used to drive Rick up the wall in irritation at her cold appearance, but now he understood why she had to.

"Very well Vermilion. Come on home boys. And good job out there."

"Oh thank God." Ben breathed, thinking he'd said it quieter.

"Where's all that reassurance you had earlier?" Max challenged with a pointed, knowing stare at his best friend's image.

Ben tried to muster his normal cheery tone, but failed as they all gave him a knowing look.

"Oh, uh, nothing bad Max. I just uh...gotta use the bathroom." His eyes took a quick look at his fuel gauge and he fought hard to hide his wince at the readings. Thirty percent left in the reserve tanks and dropping. The leak must have been much worse than he had thought as his Veritech was literally bleed to death on him.

"Well in that case Ben, we'll stay out here. The flight suits are rated to handle that issue." Rick said with a dismissive tone, but his eyes showed it was more out of irritation at Ben trying to play off a serious issue. "Unless it's not the only issue anymore."

Lisa gave a grossed out look in understanding of Rick's hidden meaning about the flight suits, as Max simply blinked slowly as he made sure to send his disbelieving stare at Rick's veritech. He made a mental note to never play off any damage on his plane. Not that he needed that warning as it was a very stupid call. Ben took the hint from Rick and deflated in surrender. He knew his flight lead was correct, but he didn't want to be the cause of having to abandon their comrades in the middle of a fight, even one that was pretty much winding down. The three headed back home and entered the landing pattern. Rick and Max hung back, posting a guard for Ben to land as his fuel problem was becoming more of an issue as time passed by. He managed to just barely make it before his engines flamed out from starvation of fuel, leaving a very relieved pilot swearing to never try to fly with a hole in his belly again. Rick and Max quickly joined him and the trio once more descended into the bowels of the SDF-1.

One hour later...

"It was completely reckless of you Corporal! I don't ever want to hear about you back talking your lead when he makes a call and your safety is at risk! Just what was going through that head of yours?!" Roy demanded of the rigid Ben Dixon.

Rick had already tore into the young man and made his point, but a matter of pilot safety meant that Roy would get involved. Well he hadn't until he heard Rick tearing strips off the man in large quantities from the Ready Room. The words fuel leak had set Roy right into a frenzy as he had lost men before to such an issue and Rick himself remembered the time one of their pilots with the circus had gone up in a fireball during a practice in the off season. Now it wasn't as much of a threat in space as most of fuel used by them for their fighters wouldn't react as explosively in a vacuum to the engine wash as in an atmosphere but the danger of running out of gas was still a huge risk factor or in the event an enemy particle burst managed to ignite the fuel near the start of the leak. A risk no one should ever take. Rick simply crossed his arms, keeping his face blank and his eyes never leaving Ben as the man answered in as much a confident voice as he could muster while sweating with nerves that it would have felt like abandoning the others while he was pulled out of the fight.

"Dixon, while your sentiments are admirable as is your loyalty to all of us, what you failed to realize is you would have put the others at a higher risk had your fighter pissed all it's fuel into space and leaving you with out control. You'd have been a liability and could have got someone killed if they had to cover your ass." Roy growled out. "I'm only going to say this once Dixon, and this is the only time I will be this lenient with you. Don't you ever try that again, are we clear?" Roy asked heatedly.

Ben answered him quietly, the lesson plain as day to him.

"Good. Get out of here Bingo." Roy ordered.

Ben saluted and hurried out of the room as Rick cocked an eyebrow at Roy.

"Bingo huh? Why not Joker?"

Roy gave him a glare.

"He'd have taken it as a compliment. Now, by being called Bingo, the lesson will stick. You know the rules for call signs Pipsqueak." Roy replied with a pointed look, leaning back against the wall of the ready room.

Rick scowled.

"That was one time and I was nervous. And Pop told you never to call me that again." Rick shot back, his annoyance not even remotely hidden as Roy gave a truly evil grin.

"In front of you maybe. He had no problem with it when you were in the air and we were on the ground." Roy explained, smirking at Rick's stunned expression.

"I swear I am so going to get you two back." Rick mock threatened making Roy just chuckle.

"What are you two children arguing about now?" A musical voice asked from the door way.

Both men looked to the door and spotted two very special ladies smirking at them. Lisa glanced over to her best friend, seeing Claudia's eyes were full of amusement.

"I think I see what you mean Claudia. They are just like brothers." Lisa looked at them thoughtfully. "And unless we heard wrong, has Dixon earned himself a call sign?" She asked pleasantly as the two woman walked over to them.

"When you land a bird damn near bone dry because of a moronic sense of logic, you get Bingo." Roy explained, already aware the two woman understood that Bingo in the pilot world meant you were pretty much running on reserve tanks in your plane and had just enough to get back and land...hopefully. "Could have called him pancake but bingo will get my message across."

"I'm curious. Why did you call Rick Pipsqueak?" Lisa asked innocently, but Rick could see the teasing look in her eyes. He was learning very well how to read her and was also becoming more aware of her playful nature. He simply groaned in response as Roy let out a short laugh.

"The first time I took him up in my old biplane, he was barely able to see over the control board. It also didn't help his voice seemed to squeak a lot as a kid but was horrible when he hit puberty."

Lisa covered her mouth, giggling as she pictured a child like Rick squeaking like a mouse in sheer joy of flying. Rick gave them a deadpan look, clearly not amused. Roy just smirked and Claudia gave him a bright smile as he remained simply standing there. After a few seconds, Lisa recovered and gave him a beautiful smile as she snaked her arm around his waist. She was still hesitant on showing affection to him, but around two people who knew the secret, she was at least able to.

"I think it's adorable Rick." She commented shyly.

"Oh, Pop's is gonna love to meet her Rick." Roy mused. "He always hoped you'd find a smart and beautiful woman. Smartest choice you've made to date Little Brother."

"I did, didn't I?" He replied, not really thinking when he answered, only grinning like a goof at Lisa.

Lisa gave him a short kiss on his cheek and a sweet smile.

"I'm happy you think I am Rick." She took a brief glance at her two friends, pink appearing on her cheeks as she pulled away from him. "I stopped down here to check on you, but I really need to get back to the bridge. See you later tonight?"

Rick saw the request for his confirmation and gave his best assuring grin.

"Of course Lisa."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He was many things and called by many names. He commanded men who obeyed with out question. They were undeniably one of the most effective units in the Zentradi Military. Yet no one appreciated his ability to get things done. No one ever praised his prowess in combat. No. And his men were not loyal because of his impressive feats either. They obeyed in fear of his anger. He was called The Backstabber. Why? Due to a miscalculation on his part, he flew into a blind drunken rage and had slaughtered more of his own troops than the enemy had. But that mattered not to him as he looked over the holographic image of Zor's once mighty battlefortress that was now a shell of it's former glory. He knew it was no different from the regular, yet impressively armed Tirolian vessels of it's class. And he was also painfully aware that it was not the ship that his 'leader' wanted. No, Breetai only cared about what was on that ship. Hidden somewhere on it was the protoculture matrix that was very much needed by the RoboTech Masters. He was quite aware of the dwindling supplies of protoculture and how badly the matrix was needed to replenish their stock. His ire at the task before was only compounded by Breetai's incessant orders that forbade him from simply taking the ship by force and crushing the Micronians that dared to defy him. He still owed them for the humiliating defeat he suffered at the fourth primary in this system. The insane insects had the audacity to detonate a reflex furnace in a planetary atmosphere that had wiped out more than half of the men he had taken into the fight. They had to have taken leave of their senses. He growled in pure annoyance as he looked over the newest set of orders from Breetai's ship and Khyron was not pleased.

"Apparently, I am to fire a 'warning shot' across the Battlefortress' bow." He ground out as his First stood loyally by him, both men having a bitter dislike for this soft handed approach. "How droll."

"That sounds like one of Exedore's crazy plans." Grel commented, frowning in dislike of the short Zentradi.

Khyron smirked, his mind having made that connection as well.

"Yes, it does." He agreed dryly. "However, I have another, more effective idea. One that will appear quite accidental." He zoomed the image in and pointed at the sensor tower on the vessel. "If I were to fire my shot...here, just above the deck, it would appear as if the blast 'accidentally' impacted the ship. We take the sensors out of the equation, and the rest becomes much easier for us. Don't you agree Grel?"

His companion's eyes widened in realization and he gave a devious smirk.

"I shall see to it our battle plan is updated."

"See that you do." Khyron gave a dismissive wave and returned his gaze back to the vessel that had caused him so much annoyance. "I have you now you filthy little micronians. And you will soon learn what happens when you deny Khyron the Backstabber his prize."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is Lieutenant Hunter." Rick answered his phone as he gripped the towel around his waist.

It never failed that he always seemed to get a phone call right when he was getting out of the shower. A familiar hesitant voice made him frown as the caller identified themselves.

"Rick. It's Minmei." She seemed to be trying to figure out how to phrase the reason for her call. "Look...I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have jump to conclusion at the pageant. And I'm sorry for being...well...shallow."

While Rick wasn't exactly happy with her, it had been expected of a teen age girl to be...well...shortsighted was a polite way of saying it. He listened intently as she continued speaking.

"I miss hanging out with you Rick and I miss your friendship. This whole trip has opened my eyes to the world and how much I hurt those who tried to care for me."

"I really appreciate the apology Minmei. It's a very grown up thing for you to do." He winced at the back handed compliment he gave her. "I'm sorry I blew up on you. I was angry but I had no right to say those harsh things."

She sounded relieved upon hearing this and her confidence seemed to mount as she spoke.

"I understand Rick. And I want to make it up to you. Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Sorry Minmei, I'm going out with Roy and Claudia for dinner tonight." He explained, not liking where this was going.

"Oh." She seemed to deflate into herself before her cheery tone came through. "Maybe I could join you?" Her hopeful tone tugging at his heart.

He sighed, know where she was trying to take this and knew he needed to stop it before someone got hurt. Whether it be Minmei once he and Lisa decided to go public in their relationship or him if Lisa found out he took Minmei out, even if it was just as a friend. Roy had been right when he told Rick he needed to think through his actions.

"Look, Minmei, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I think we should just give it time and start over. If I get some free time, we might hang out. But with everything starting to come to an end as we get closer to Earth...I just don't know to tell you the truth."

He felt bad at the hurt tone in her voice she tried to cover up with false cheerfulness.

"I can accept that. I got to go now anyway Rick. Singing lessons and all. They want to record an album so I guess I'll talk to you later."

The phone clicked off and Rick stared at it with a feeling of guilt. He didn't like to hurt her, but it was for the best that he simply closed that door completely. He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated, and wishing for something to take his mind off of this whole tangled mess. The sudden rumbling of the deck that nearly knocked him off his feet did just that. His question about the shaken was just rolling off his tongue as the alert klaxons wailed to life, signalling an attack of some kind. Wasting no time, Rick threw the towel to the ground and quickly yanked his flight suit on. Five minutes later, another stronger shudder ran though the ship as he managed to reach the jeep with Max and Ben already in and ready to go. Rick took one look at Ben.

"Punch it Ben. Let's get to the hanger!"

* * *

 **Yup. Cliff hanger. Had too other wise the chapter would be too long. Originally (Spoilers ahead!) I had run right through into the capture of Lisa and Vermilion's failed rescue of one Commander Hayes. So the next chapter will have that, Dolza's questioning of them, and further warning, will be a twist so unexpected, you may get whiplash from it, the sure to be exciting escape! Leave a Review and I won't insert a nightmare of Kyle/Lisa! I have a word processor and I know how to use it! Please don't make me do it...**


	6. Chapter 6 The Blind Game

**A/N: Okay, new chapter up fairly quickly from my last update. Anyway, couple notes to bring up. First, I'll be taking time after I put up the next chapter (Already halfway through it as I broke up chapter five to expand upon certain parts) and going back through and correcting the spellcheck created errors and some of my own mistakes, so keep an eye out for that if you want. Two, I apologize for the time skips I have here. I'm attempting to keep to cannon story line, all while straightening out the time line kinks the original draft had while staying true as much as I can to cannon personalities and growth shown. And three, I made a whoopsie with Pops Hunter. When I originally wrote this, there wasn't much information about him (well due to my lack of research that is) and I didn't double check that before posting. Someone PMd me asking if I meant for Roy to say "Pop's is going to love meeting her." Well, lo and behold, turns out dear old Pops actually died before the events of RoboTech. It really doesn't impact my storyline as yes, he is a live and well. I'll be showing him and Rick talking and even have a scene written for a meeting between him, his son, and Lisa. My argument for it is if the Military let little miss song bird go visit her family due to her fame, I'm more than certain they'd let Rick visit with his old man seeing as he is a highly decorated officer with a medal for valor and all. And don't worry, I have a work around for the whole, everyone at or near Macross is dead from an alien attack story the United Earth gave the civvies. So yes, he is alive, no I won't tell you if he lives after the bombardment yet. You'll just have to wait an see. So on with the show. Hope ya enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6

The SDF-1 gracefully slid through the vacuum of space, her heading now altering from a Earth bound bearing to a vector that would place them in a solar orbit between the blue marble known as home and the desolate, lifeless ball of dust that had changed the lives of two of its crew forever. The bridge of the massive space fortress was still abuzz with disdain and anger at their leaders back home who have elected to use them as bait to keep the alien war machine from unleashing their full military might against the weakened Earth and her people. Lisa listened with half an ear as her thoughts began to wander towards her father, Fleet Admiral Donald Hayes, a man who had seemed so distant to her since the passing of her mother. She knew, logically, that Donald had done his best to raise her. He had ensured she had the skills and brains to go far in life. While Lisa had indeed meet and exceeded in all his hopes for her, he failed to give her the emotional support she had need both as a child and as a woman who had been grieving for the loss of her love, something he just didn't fully understand how to do. He was a strict man and at times seemed cold and unfeeling, Lisa knew he loved her dearly. The last message she had received from him spoke of how proud he was of her and how proud he was to be her father. It warmed her heart that his praise had been so heartfelt. Which made the choice of orders for them so much harder to bare. She missed her father and she wanted so much to tell him how sorry she was for her harsh words to him so long ago, words that had inadvertently widened the separation between the two. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden alert lighting up on her console. Her eyes began sweeping through the data coming in from the ship's long range sensor suite, displaying that a massive discharge of exotic energy had been detected from the asteroid belt. Her brow furrowed, green eyes poring over the readings as she directed a tight beam scan towards the disturbance. What she found startled her.

"Captain! The planetoid Pallas has been destroyed!" She reported as she switched back the display back to tracking mode, displaying the chunks of rock hurtling towards them out an astounding speed. "The debris will be here in fifteen seconds but the shock wave will be on us in moments!"

As if to prove her correct, the massive shock wave slammed into the vessel, shaking them like a child with a rattler in hand while collision alarms blared to life all over the ship. People were throwd hard to the ground, buildings began to crack at their foundations from the stress, and cars and other transports were tossed about. Lisa didn't grab the bar attached to her console quickly enough and found herself impacting to the deck rather painful as did Captain Gloval. Claudia had managed to grip the safety bar on her console in time to avoid being unceremoniously tossed to the deck while the Trio were almost unseated. The shaking lasted seconds as the many reaction control thrusters fired in an attempt to stabilize the ship and the artificial gravity fought hard to compensate for the unexpected force. The shaken lessened and faded away as Lisa managed to regain her footing and quickly got back to her console. The Captain bit out a small curse and got himself back to his command chair, not very happy with his ship tossing him about.

"Halt all fighter launches! Order our CAP to take evasive action!" Henry barked out, his eyes going over the sensor readings, watching as the debris closed in on them. He would not risk his men's lives in what now became a deadly rock storm. He just hoped that the gravity from Mars would clear a good portion of the incoming debris, lightening the possible danger to a more manageable level.

Claudia quickly relayed the orders to the flight deck while Lisa disseminated the orders for the Veritechs already on patrol. The ship shook again as the debris field finally caught up to them, but thankfully, the gravity systems were able to eliminate most of the after shocks from the impacts to the hull. Her display became cluttered as the sensor systems were having trouble separating each individual piece of debris leaving half of it solid white.

"Isn't that Lieutenant Hunter's Veritech?" Sammie asked worriedly from her position near the back of the bridge, having looked towards Lisa to inform her superior that the scopes were cleared up enough for Veritech launch.

Lisa looked up sharply, fear gripping her heart with a icy hand. No, it couldn't be him! He couldn't have launched with out her knowing...but couldn't he have? Her eyes locked onto the destroyed battloid drifting by, the red highlights clearly visible. Lisa's felt as if her heart were breaking apart, seeing the unmoving body still at the controls as tears began to well up. Her mind flashed back to their first meeting.

 _"Hey Roy. Who's the old sourpuss?"_ He'd asked in that damned cocky and irritating tone he used to have when they spoke.

 _"Y-You look beautiful tonight Lisa."_ The stuttered compliment he gave on their first date.

The sheer sweet bliss of their first kiss.

The heartbreaking realization that she would never here his voice again.

Or see his charming smile.

His blue eyes...all of it gone forever.

"Lisa." A soft and concerned voice seemed to break through the cloud of fear and anguish that had started to overwhelm her. "It's not Rick Lisa. He's okay and with Roy in the hanger." Claudia gently spoke, seeing the tears welling in Lisa's eyes.

Claudia wanted to pull her friend into a hug as Lisa's face showed pure pain in those few seconds of the passing wreck. She wanted to comfort the woman she saw as not just a friend, but as a sister as well. But she couldn't, but her words seemed to have helped as Lisa nodded, her face hidden by the curtains of hair. Claudia could see the fear leave her body as her shoulders seemed to relax in relief. A sudden flare of irritation come over Claudia and she sorely wanted to tear Sammie a new one for her slip up. Or course it looked like Rick's fighter. Most of them had a similar paint scheme. She quickly squashed her irritation and settled for looking back on her console. Besides, Sammie's attention was taken up moments later as the computer began beeping at her.

"Captain! Multiple enemy contacts!"

"Confirmed here sir. Sensors show six enemy frigates and one destroyer." Lisa reported, still keeping her head down and wrestling to put her emotions aside, now that she knew Rick was alive and well. "The sensors couldn't see them before because of all the debris."

"Very clever." Henry remarked, his respect for his opponent rising a notch. "They used the debris from Pallas' destruction as a means of smokescreen to remain undetected on their approach. By clouding our sensors, they were able to move into a perfect firing position." he mused, his cover casting harsh shadows across his face.

"Power surges detected sir! They are going to fire!"

"Bring the Pinpoint Barrier online! Are they in range of our main gun?"

"No sir. They are holding well outside of range!" Claudia reported as Kim confirmed full readiness of the barrier system.

"Enemy ships firing!"

"Brace yourselves!" He ordered gruffly, gripping the edges of his command chair.

The ship shuddered as multiple beams of pure energy seemed to pass all around them, the passage of so many beams sent quakes through the ship. Henry wondered if maybe they were trying to suppress the SDF-1 at this range. Surely they could still hit them since they litterally had them in a cage and if they wished to destroy them, well it wouldn't be that hard and yet every shot was cleaning missing them, but had forced them to avoid and kind of defensive action as that could lead to either getting speared by one of the dozens of energy beams sizzling by them or lead them to collied with potentially deadly chunk of debris. In effect, Henry was in a cage. Captain Gloval narrowed his eyes in understanding. They were trying to cage them! And it was succeeding as more and more avenues of escape were quickly closing.

"They are trying to cage us. Clever, but why?" He mused, his crew reporting no impacts to his ship. "Just what are you planning?" He asked the image of the aliens ships before him so low that no one else heard him over the rumbles from the near misses.

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Breetai smirked as he watched his plan come together. Of course, his friend of may years, Exedore, had voiced concerns of allowing Khyron to proceed with this phase of the plan. But Breetai felt that the rather wild subordinate would heed his warnings and execute the plan to Breetai's expectations. Khyron was no fool and knew Breetai would take his command and strip him of his rank faster than a hull breach sucked out atmosphere. He had done it once to Khyron, when he had disregarded Breetai's orders in the neighboring galactic cluster not to engage any of the natives unless it was absolutely necessary to safe guard the goals of the mission. The insane man had instead taken his battlegroup and proceeded to massacre a young interstellar species, with his excuse being nothing more than he had been bored. It had taken him many years to earn back his rank and status, which Breetai had allowed him take back after proving himself. Recently, that same disobedient streak had flared back up and Breetai knew he'd need to stomp it out of him. Once the mission was complete and Zor's vessel was under his control, he would deal with Khyron and this time the lesson would stick.

He wondered if the micronians had figured out what he was attempting yet. He had been most impressed with this young species, not something easily done, as they had time and time again managed to thwart his every attempt to capture the battlefortress. Their sheer tenacity and ingenuity over the past year had been highly praise worthy. To have delayed him this long was a remarkable feat in his eyes, and he sent a nod of respect towards the commander of the vessel.

"Well Exedore, the plan is coming together. I believe it is time to proceed with the next step." He mused, his deep voice calm and confident.

"Mm...yes. I do believe it is the right moment Commander."

He glanced at one of his many loyal men.

"Send the order for Khyron to proceed."

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Khyron watched impassively as the barrage from his ships continued. It was maddeningly dull as even a micronian wouldn't chance any move that could and would cause the pure energy beams to sear through their hull.

 _"Wouldn't that be such a pleasurable sight."_ He mused with dark amusement. _"Seeing all of those tiny insects being sucked into space, dying in such glorious agony...Perhaps we will be able to witness some of that once Breetai orders me to fire."_

As if to answer his question, his console beeped, drawing his eyes away from the pointless actions being taken by his people. His smile widened as the insane man gave a vicious grin at the image before him.

"We have been given the order to fire our shot. Make it a good one."

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"Captain! One of the enemy ships is maneuvering to fire on us!" Sammie cried out.

"Let me see the track of the vessel." His gaze dropped to the display and saw where the expected blast would go. This had been a rather interesting attack as Henry had realized they had been boxed in, all while wondering what the enemy objective here was. His eyes widened before he smirked. "Hmm..very clever. Making me hold still long enough for you to make your point are you?" He snorted. "You're warning shot will do no good as I am not going to be intimidated, I'm afraid."

Lisa and the girls overheard him and shared a look before Lisa's sensors began beeping at her.

"They're preparing to fire!" She warned, hand tightening on her hand grips, a bad feeling starting to well up inside her. _"I just hope the Captain is right."_

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Khyron began savoring the feeling of anticipation as his plan came to life. Now if only he could see the torment and despair on the faces of these worthless micronians as they realized death was at hand. It would make this moment so much sweeter. Though he'd rather just destroy the pests and tow the lifeless hulk back to the Masters, he'd settle on enacting a small measure of revenge for their dirty trick n the fourth primary.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Micronian vessel in range. Targeting enemy sensor tower."

Breetai blinked in shock before he felt a deep rage settle into him. Khyron had finally lost his mind! He had ordered no damage to the ship as they did not know just where Zor had hidden the Protoculture matrix on board and any damage to the vessel could very well destroy the last matrix they knew of. His mind however, latched onto the startling fact that though this was completely against his orders, it would benefit them for the next phase, in fact it would force them to launch a recon craft sooner than he had originally anticipated. He would still be dealing with Khyron later, but not until after the mission here was complete.

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"They're going to hit us sir!" Lisa cried out as the blast hurtled towards them at a blinding speed.

Henry had been wrong. Shock flared up in his being as the enemy blast tore through space and slammed into the pinpoint barrier, that burned a brilliant white as it attempted to repel such a powerful blast. The system held for several moments, a monument to the brilliance of it's creator, before the barrier failed leaving the admittedly weakened blast to continue right into the ships sensor tower. Several decks below the bridge, the blast instantly melted the metal bulkheads and decks as it's deadly path intersected with the radar room. Metal, machine, and human were instantly vaporized from the intense heat of the starship grade energy beam that continued on until it completely cored that section of the ship. Klaxons began to wail as several displays tied to the long range systems blew out form the energy surge, showering the crew with glass and sparks. Henry groaned as he pushed himself back off the deck, once more having been tossed like a rag doll.

"Sound off!" He barked to his bridge. "Anyone hurt?"

"We're all okay here sir." Claudia groaned out as she clung to her console for support. "Shaken, but alright."

"Damage reports coming in Captain. Hull breaches reported in the radar and sensor sections." Lisa reported, checking her short range sensors, trying to calm her beating heart before it jump out of her chest. Any higher and that hit would have destroyed the bridge and they would have been nothing more than a memory. "Enemy vessels appear to have disengaged and are moving off. I can't be too sure though as the short range sensors have been damaged. And all the debris is making it impossible to confirm."

A sudden shudder reminded Henry of the other issue they had to deal with as a few smaller pieces of debris bounced off the conning tower.

"How long until we can clear this debris field?" He queried, pulling his pipe from his jacket, the motion calming his irritation at the aliens.

"Three hours at present speed sir. I don't recommend going any faster then our current speed Captain." Claudia responded, checking her controls for the helm, her brown eyes locked on her display. "And Commander Hayes is correct sir. With this much debris clogging our scopes, we're pretty much open to attack from anywhere in this field."

"Hmmm...Sammie, any contacts on long range?" He turned his dark eyes towards the young woman.

The young woman clicked through the radar systems, frowning momentarily as the system failed to respond, before shaking her head in frustration, her screens covered in static.

"Long rage sensors are off line. That blast must have taken out the radar room."

"Try contacting them. They may be alive." He ordered, already knowing no one would be responding. Sammie's sad shake of her head seconds later confirmed his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, going over the situation.

The aliens had blinded him. They took out his eyes and were now hiding amongst the rubble before him. An unacceptable turn of events. He was broken from his thoughts as Kim and Vanessa began whispering about a comm burst from an unknown source that was being directed at their now blind vessel.

"Let us hear this mysterious transmission Vanessa." He sighed, going over some ideas on how to get his eyes back. The speakers squealed with static for a split second before a strangely accented male voice sounded out. The vice was level, yet holding an underlying aggressive tone. It took him a moment to realize it was the aliens speaking to them in English.

"You are ordered to surrender you vessel to the Zentradi Military. If you do not comply, you will be destroyed. Again, you are ordered to stand down and to surrender to the Zentradi Military If-"

"Shut it off." Henry ordered, his voice cold and dangerous. "They can demanded all they want. I will not give them a response as the demands are insulting." He spat out before composing himself, his face still showing the anger he felt at the now identified Zentradi's gull to demand his surrender. "Lisa, you are rated as a RIO still correct?"

"Well yes sir, I am. Why do you ask sir?" She was confused by his question, thought it did remind her that she needed to check when her certifications were due for renewal as a flight controller also doubled as a ship wide RIO in a sense.

"Claudia, contact the flight deck. I want a Catseye ready for launch. And inform Commander Fokker that I want an escort for it." He turned back to Lisa after Claudia snapped to complete the tasks the Captain wanted. "Lisa, I need you to back seat a Catseye. We need our eyes back."

Lisa paused momentarily and Henry saw the hesitation. He knew this was a potential trap and so did she. But they needed to be able to see what was going on around them and a Catseye was the best option. And considering that the enemy has so quickly delivered their ultimatum, he had a hunch they were planning something big. He just needed to know what it was.

"We need you out there Lisa. It is our only option right now until we can get the long range systems back up and running." Something they would need to correct as soon as they could.

Lisa felt her nerves flutter in her stomach and fought them down as while unorthodox to have the primary Flight Controller back seat a Catseye, it also made sense as she would be able to accurately relay the radar information to the bridge. She nodded her head and gave him a sharp salute before stepping off the bridge and headed off to the hanger to gear up. Lisa took a deep breath as she walked, quelling the bad feeling she had in her stomach. She just hoped she was going to be well protected out there.

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"Pretty ironic I got assigned as your escort commander." Rick teased as he eased his fighter into position off the left wing of the large recon craft. "You didn't have anything to do with it did you?"

Lisa smiled at his teasing comment, and gave him a playful smirk, the levity of his statement helping to calm her feeling of worry.

"I admit it is ironic and you can point that finger at your brother for you being assigned to protect little old me. But I think we'll manage just fine. Don't you?" She asked, her smirk still in place.

Rick's humor at the turn of events was a refreshing change for her as the four planes slipped easily through the large debris field. Max gave a low whistle as he took in the chaotic spin of the rubble around them.

"I got to admit, this debris is moving pretty quick. Must have been some power behind the explosion." He stated, watching two large chunks slam into each other, sending scores of smaller rocks spinning outwards from the impact.

"I'll say. These aliens have some pretty powerful weapons." Ben muttered, seriousness etched on his face.

After the ass chewing he had received from both Rick and Roy, he hadn't known just how mush of an idiot he had been. He'd asked Max what his biggest issue was when in combat and asked him not to pull any punches. The blue haired man had told him bluntly that he was too loose during battle. That Ben tended to fly like he hadn't a care in the world, making simple mistakes every time he flew. And that Ben's biggest problem besides his mouth was that he never really understood when it was acceptable during a sortie to act like a goof and when it was time to get serious. Ben normally didn't slip into a serious mood until halfway through their battles which is why he usually ended up needing someone to bail him out. Ben had been unusually serious this whole flight, avoiding any wise cracks and keeping his mind on the mission. He needed to learn how to read a situation better and decided that until he could do that, he'd act like the NCO he was and not some over active teenager. Which meant that with his mind on the mission, he was the first to spot the incoming enemy that had been lurking in the field.

"Contacts to our nine. Can't get a clear count on how many." He radioed, his eyes searching for the tell tale engine flare the enemy pods gave off. "Visual confirmed. Looks like ten of them."

"I see them." Rick confirmed, his own eyes having spotted the aliens. "Bingo, provide cover for Recon One. Max, you and I are going to go introduce ourselves to some old friends" Rick ordered, twisted his fighter around on an intercept heading. "Recon One, send traffic to Control that we have company out here. Some help would be appreciated."

"Radio is jammed. It's going to take some time." Lisa informed him, having already attempted to do just that and was now working on cutting through the local jamming. She just hoped she'd be able to get the down link back to the SDF.

"We'll buy you that time. Vermilion Lead out." Rick replied as both he and Max made contact with the enemy forces. The two fighters let loose a pair of missiles each, and screamed right towards the enemy formation even as four of them went up in small explosions. The pods didn't seem to take to kindly to the greeting and screamed in on them, particle beams spewing forth.

"Blow through Max. Split off once we scatter their formation!" Rick ordered, his fighter sending a burst of hot lead into one of the offending pods.

The other Pilot confirmed his orders, 55mm cannon returning the favor as the tracers streaked off into space. The rounds found their mark with a another destroyed battle pod and the two human fighters punched a hole in the Zentradi formation, engines flaring brightly as they soared right through. Rick rolled his plane, yanking his B lever and felt the shift into battloid as Max twisted his plane around, twin smoke trails spewing from his wings and turning two more Zentradi into fireballs. His euphoria was cut short as one of the battlepods attempted to slam into his veritech at high speeds, and he barely managed to avoid the suicide charge. Rick sent a burst of gun fire into another pod and shifted back ino fighter mode, screaming in on the ass of the mecha that had attempted to ram Max.

"Hey, these guys are really playing for keeps here Skipper." Max grimly noted, avoiding a sustained blast that almost took out his right wing. "We got a battle plan for this?" His thumb depressed the missile button again, sending his last two into the cockpit of what he guessed was a command variant of the normal pods.

"Yeah. Don't die." Rick stated dryly, flipping the Veritech backwards, his nose now pointed at the enemy pod that had been glued to his back end. The tracers from his cannon seemed to gently cress the enemy pod, which exploded seconds later. The Lead of Vermilion slammed his throttle into the firewall and hurtled after the next contact, when his com snapped to life.

"I need some help Skipper! More battle pods have shown up!" Ben called out, his face showing total concentration is his own little dogfight.

Rick felt his blood run cold as he and Max swung back around and shot off towards Ben's location once the last enemy pod was shot down. The third member of Vermilion seemed to be holding his own well, destroying an offending battle pod with a finesse that Ben usually wasn't able to pull off. As Rick watched, Ben let loose a missile that tore beautifully into a fleeing pod, turning it into so much silver confetti. But his worry mounted as he looked for the Catseye that was no longer in the area.

"Bingo, where is Recon One?" He asked, barely able to keep a frantic tone from his voice, but his eyes showed his concern.

"Commander headed off deeper into the field for cover. I tried to follow but the aliens cut me off when they tried to ambush us." He replied, forming up with his lead. "They altered their heading about five to seven degrees to starboard from our last heading when they broke formation."

Rick nodded and brought he fighter on the correct heading and pushed his throttle forward. The three fighters gracefully soared into the thicker part of the debris field, the only place that would offer sufficient cover for the Catseye.

"Recon One, come in. Recon One, do you copy?" Rick broadcast. _"Please Lisa. Answer me."_

"Rick." A soft, pained voice came over the channel.

"Lisa!" His voice carried the fully relief he felt that she was alive. "Lisa, are you okay?"

"For now. But...Rick, they found us." Her normally confident voice was much more subdued, almost defeated. "We're being pulled into one of there ships."

"No." His heart dropped and his eyes began hunting for any sign of the ship she was talking about. "Lisa, don't worry. I'm coming to get you, alright?"

"You won't make it in time. Get yourselves to safety." He could hear the sorrow in her voice, the tears that were surely falling. "I'm sorry Rick. I...I don't want to say good bye but I have to."

Rick felt a stab in his heart and felt his rage begin to build. These alien monsters think they can just take the woman he cares for and not expect him to blow them to hell? They had another thing coming. He spotted the enemy ship, seeing several pods taking the damaged recon craft into a massive hanger. The alien ship was huge, but Rick didn't care as he angled his veritech nose on with the enemy ship, his finger hovering just over his gun pod trigger.

"Vermilion, we're going in." His tone let them know he would take no back talk from them, his visage set in a cold fury.

"Roger."

"Right behind you boss!"

The three fighters dived down towards the enemy ship, that responded to the appearance of the Veritechs with anti mecha energy beams that seared close enough to set off heat warnings in their cockpits. Rick mashed the trigger, sending a sustained burst into one of the nearest emplacements, the weapon exploding as it's energy cells were struck by the explosive rounds. Rick's fighter warbled a warning concerning his engine temperature that he ignored, demanding every ounce of speed the machine was capable of and hurtling towards the enemy ship all the while, his veritech screamed in protest at the abuse he was putting the reactor and engines through. He would not be swayed from his goal of saving the two on board the Catseye.

"Doors are closing Skipper. We got to move!" Max radioed worriedly.

"Shoot the gap gentlemen!" Rick barked, coaxing as much speed as he could from the abused engines. Vince wouldn't be very happy once they got back as Rick was sure he'd end up melting the engine block to slag after this. The three men rolled over and shot towards the rapidly closing hanger doors, barely making it inside before they sealed, much to the relief of the team.

"Go to mode B." Rick ordered, once more turning his Veritech into the massive bipedal machine, hoping that the engines would cool enough to use once they grabbed the Commander and needed to leave. "Plan is simple. Get in, rescue the Catseye crew, kill any alien dumb enough to stand in our way, and get out of here. Questions?"

"Ah this will be a walk in the park!" Ben laughed out, hiding his fear that this may be the last mission they ever did.

The three battloids ran down the hall, killing what few alien security teams that had responded to their impromptu boarding action. They entered the massive hanger in time to see one of the aliens rip the cockpit cover off of the Catseye. Hearing Lisa scream brought his rage forward and all Rick saw was red and charged forward with a scream of rage. The battleoid slammed it's shoulder into the giant, sending him tumbling and stress alarms flared to life in the cockpit of the Veritech, screaming the warning that he had almost separated the right arm from the torso. But Rick didn't care and fired his gun pod right into the giant that had recovered from being tossed to the floor. Rick spun his mecha around with a snarl as he saw the enemy soldiers shaking their shock off. The two other human warriors let loose blasts of their own, sending the remaining aliens rushing away from the hangers, most of them having been unarmed and not stupid enough to charge an armed boarding team. Rick was breathing heavy, trying to bringing his anger under control as he turned to the Catseye where Lisa as trying to exit the wrecked craft, shaking from her now waning fear.

"Hang on Lisa. I got you." Rick told her gently, moving to help her.

"Look out Rick!" She cried out, eyes widening.

Rick felt the impact to the veritech and let out a surprised gasp as he was sent sprawling across the deck. He was dazed at the sudden turn of events and managed to clear his head with a few shakes. The battloid rose to it's feet and Rick moved to bring the gun pod around and pulled the trigger. His display flashed red at him, showing he was completely empty on rounds. With an angry snarl, Rick threw the gun pod at the alien before he charged him. The giant, one part of his his covered by a metal device, had a cold fury on his face, and turned into Rick's charge. The human pilot pulled back his mechs arm and sent it forward with the incredible strength the powerful hydraulics gave the machine. The Giant dodged the first shot, grabbing the veritech by the wrist and slung him away. Rick crashed to the deck once more and rolled away from the heel stomp the alien had attempted.

"No you don't big guy!" Max jumped forward and kicked the alien in the face, sending him stumbling back.

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Breetai wiped the blood from his mouth as the three micronian mecha took up a defensive posture around the small female that had been in the recon craft. He looked to his hand and mentally applauded the micronian in control of the blue one. It had been some time since anyone had spilled his own blood. Not since the injury he had sustained in Zor's service so many years ago. He let out an annoyed growl and rose to his full height. He was so focused on the blue one, he hadn't noticed the Red one coming up in his blind spot and sending a teeth shattering punch to his face. Breetai roared in anger and lashed out a kick that sent the red one crashing to the deck. Who ever was controlling it was truly persistent.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Max moved quickly, using his gun pod as a bar and pulled it back into the alien's neck as he turned to deal with Rick's hay maker. The alien gave a deep angry noise and began to pry the now bending and ruined gun pod away from his throat.

"Ben! Fire your missiles, into the ceiling!" Max struggled to keep this alien in his grip but the gun pod wouldn't last much longer. "Man this guy is tough!"

The last two missiles in their flight screamed off their pylons and slammed into the overhead, blowing hole through the outer armor and into space. Max ignited his engines in the 'feet' of his veritech and carried himself and the alien out into space where Max released his grip, sure that the vacuum would kill him. Back inside, Rick used his veritech to lift Lisa up and away from the Catseye happy she was fine and saddened by the loss of the pilot. He sent a silent thank you to the now dead man for keeping Lisa safe.

"Alright, let's get out of here before they seal off this bay. Max, take point. Bingo, rear guard. Move."

The three veritechs moved towards the passage, only to have it sealed off by a massive blast door. Rick scowled as he and his men were brought up short.

"Damn. Alright, Max, fire up your lasers. We're going to cut our way out." He glanced down at Lisa, who was still in the grip of his veritech, and she had her head propped up on one hand, elbow resting against the thumb, and smiling teasingly at him.

"If you're done admiring me, Lieutenant, you can put me down now." She spoke, her eyes filled with amusement.

Rick tried to look annoyed but couldn't keep an amused look from his own face.

"Only if you promise to stop picking fights with thirty foot tall aliens."

"No promises." She calmly replied as Rick sent her down gently.

Ben and Max both shared a a look at the pair.

"You ever get the feeling there is something going on between those two?" Ben observed, his eyes scanning the room, looking for any sign of a bad guy.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. They seem too...friendly to be friends." Max replied as Lisa caught Rick up on what had brought about this now escape attempt.

"Yeah, it's almost like...CONTACT! Holy Crap! Max, your buddy is back!" Ben called, letting loose a sustained burst before the gun pod hammer clicked, signaling no ammo left.

Max spun around and managed to dodge the broken metal bar the alien had acquired.

"No kidding. Guess he's pissed I tried to flash freeze him!" Max rolled away from a wild swing before Rick slammed into the alien. The two began to wrestle over the metal bar until the alien slammed it into the right shoulder of Rick's veritech, causing him to stumble back as the systems shorted and brought a loss of control. Not to be forgotten, Ben slammed the gun pod into the alien's back like a club. The giant turned around and kicked Ben's veritech, sending it skidding across the deck. As he attempted to rise back up, two more aliens arrived and quickly disabled his fighter, pulling him out of the now useless mecha. Max ended up being forced out of the bay and quickly began avoiding the aliens from turning him into a statistic. He just hoped he'd have a chance to get his friends out of here. His lead was currently trying to deal with the massive alien in hand to hand, managed to suplex the alien face first into the deck. He didn't appreciate that and manged to recover quicker than Rick had thought he would and picked up the veritech and slammed him into the bulkhead skewering it onto some kind of tool hooks, effectively disabling the battleoid. Rick groaned in pain as he felt himself slammed into the wall. The pane let up with warnings, all of them saying the same thing. His reactor had been damaged and was building to an overload.

"Let's just hope this thing works like it's supposed to!" He prayed, yanking his ejection lever.

The effects were immediate. The sensor that acted as the head on the battleoid flew off, small rockets pushing it out of the way as the ejection seat's rocket motor ignited. Rick felt the tremendous g force press him into the seat as he sailed upwards. He risk a glance down and cursed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He screamed as a massive hand closed around him.

The muffled explosion was the last thing Rick heard before the embrace of unconsciousness claimed him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai watched in fascination as Exedore went over his finding of the tiny creatures. The last minutes of the fight in the hanger had been exhausting as the micornians had truly been tough opponents. Not to mention the blast he suffered at point blank from the overloaded reactor hadn't been a very comfortable experience. Breetai was just happy his wounds were minor but he was completely surprised that Exedore reported how they shared a similar anatomy to them, even their genetic make up was virtually identical. Truly disturbing. His face must have shown how the discovery affect him.

"It's alarming, isn't it? To think we may be related to these small frail creatures." The diminutive man beside him glanced toward this display as the one Breetai had grabbed from the air as it had attempted to run. "Ah, looks like they are starting to wake. Perhaps we can learn something from observing them?"

"Hmm...You may have a valid point Exedore." Breetai mused, his gaze having never left the monitor. "Perhaps they may answer some of the questions we have about them."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick's eyes opened and he groaned from the headache he felt. That short scuffle hadn't been fun for him. It reminded him of the fist fight he had with Roy a few years ago. He sat up, looking around and felt his stomach drop, confirming his fears that they had been captured. He quickly stomped out that feeling and turned to see Ben and Lisa in the same container as him so that was a plus. His mind began running through plans as he shook Ben awake. The man groggily woke and saw his flight lead motioning for him to keep his mouth shut for now and Rick made his way over to Lisa as she began to stir. He smiled at her as she sleepily looked up at him, an adorable smile appearing on her face. She hadn't yet woken up fully enough and Rick couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty. Time to get up." Rick gently told her, helping her up, but being hindered as she didn't seem to want to sit up. Lisa, still not fully awake, snuggled into Rick's shoulder as his arm wrapped around her to help her up into a sitting position.

"Mmmm...five more minutes fly boy." She muttered into his shoulder. Despite the gravity of the situation, Rick couldn't help but be amused as he held her close to him. Ben merely watched with amusement at the pair, even more confident in his hunch that the two were involved.

"Sorry Lisa, but we really don't have time for you to cuddle me." He laughed.

She looked at him, her mind fully waking up and the memories of the events came forth. Her eyes went wide before she snapped her gaze to a chuckling Ben. The man in question raised his hands in defense, his knowing smirk telling the two he knew their secret.

"You don't have to worry about me opening my mouth Commander." His face still showing his amusement. "I kinda wondered when you two would get together."

Rick and Lisa couldn't help but laugh at Ben's statement as Rick helped Lisa rise to her feet. He gave her a teasing smile as her cheeks blazed red.

"Maybe we weren't as subtle as we had hoped, huh Lisa?"

She swatted his chest, trying to look stern.

"Maybe your men are just smarter than you are Flyboy." She shot back.

Ben laughed as Rick scowled at a smirking Lisa. He poked her in the ribs, getting a giggle from her.

"Very funny you." He looked around them, his arm still around Lisa's shoulders. "Any idea what they want with us?"

"Who know's Rick. But shouldn't we be trying to figure out a way to escape?"

"Who says I'm not planning something?" Rick challenged. "I don't have anything yet," He admitted sheepishly. "But if Max is still running around, I can tell you now, he'll be working towards busting us out." He stated confidently.

"Oh man. I just realized something." Ben called out, depression slipping over his face, bringing fear to Rick, wondering if Max hadn't managed to survive the fight in the hanger.

"What Ben? What's wrong?" Rick asked, trying to keep his fear out of his voice.

"I lost the bet to Max."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai frowned as he watched the three creatures interact and felt disgust well up in him. For some reason, just the sight of males and females together made him physically ill.

"Turn it off. This...this display sickens me." He gestured toward the monitor.

Exedore shut the display off and turned to Breetai as the Commander thought on a course of action.

"I suggest we should bring these Micronians to Dolza himself for interrogation." Exedore recommended, sympathy for his friend's discomfort. Exedore had anticipated the reaction this would cause for him and Breetai, but it was still rather revolting to him.

Breetai inclined his head in a thoughtful manner. Perhaps it would be best to let Dolza handle the questioning. He would freely admit that he had many questions for them. From the strange broadcasts they had been trying to understand for weeks, to where the location of the protocultre matrix.

"You're right Exedore. That would be the most pertinent course of action." He rubbed his chin, nodding to himself as the benefits became even more clear to him. "Very well. We shall return to the main fleet."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I wonder where we are though?" Lisa looked around the room, noting the many displays and scanners. "Maybe their medical bay?" She wondered out loud.

"Or a science bay." Rick offered, arms crossed as he leaned against the side of the container they were stuck in, the feeling of being a lab experiment irritating him.

"Question is, why? I mean, they'd have to know about us since they seemed so set on wiping out humanity." Ben spoke from his seated position.

"Who is to say they are after our extinction?" Lisa questioned in response. "This isn't like some science fiction show. If they wanted to destroy us, why haven't they simply blasted the SDF into dust. They have the fire power." She noted grimly, her mind focusing on the damage inflicted to the sensor system. Rick's brow furrowed.

"Maybe not like a television show where aliens want to kill us all off and use our planet for their own needs." He spoke, his tone thoughtful. "But maybe we just got caught in the cross fire between two different factions." He offered.

Lisa gave a surprised look as that thought hadn't crossed her mind and her sharp intellect began analyzing the whole situation.

"You maybe right." She cupped her chin in deep thought. "The SDF had been heavily damaged when it crashed. Most thought all of the damage had been from either the crash or the uncontrolled reenty. But a few scientist theorized that she had been damaged in some sort of conflict." Her eyes narrowed. "And with the computer firing once this faction arrived...maybe they were the enemies of whoever built the SDF-1."

"So the aliens followed it to Earth for...what exactly? A trophy?" Ben didn't look to sold on the idea.

"No. Not a trophy. Maybe there is something on the ship they want? Their tech seems pretty comparable to the systems we have on our ship." Rick responded, his own mind looking at the facts.

Her eyes went wide and her head snapped to Rick. It all made sense!

"That's it! That's the key to all of this!" She exclaimed, slamming the meet of her fist into the palm of her left hand.

"Care to enlighten us on your discovery?" Rick asked calmly.

"Think about it. How they didn't attack until our ship fired. How quickly they left Earth after we did." She began. "Every attack they have launched has either been a few low tonnage vessels and fighter swarms or attacks aimed at disabling us. In fact, after the most recent, they sent us a demand for our surrender. Something on the ship is valuable to them. But what?"

Ben seemed to have a sudden nasty thought.

"So you mean to say, we are the reason they attacked Earth? And somehow managed to get ourselves pulled into some kind of interstellar war?" His two companions seemed to realize the repercussions of the talk and understanding crossed their faces. "Geez...talk about being unlucky."

Nether could disagree with Ben's statement.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy sat in silence, staring out into the star field, his mood depressed and subdued. Eighteen hours and an exhaustive search had done nothing to locate the missing five people from the crew. Roy had damn near looked under every rock out there, looking for something, anything to hint at the fate of his men and Commander Hayes until the Captain himself ordered Roy to land and get some rest. That was two hours ago. He sighed and lowered his gaze to the deck, leaning his tall frame against the railing of the observation deck, his thoughts turning once more to his lost brother.

"Where are you Rick?" He muttered, praying he was still alive.

Soft footsteps approached him, but Roy knew who it was, the smell of her perfume telling him her identity.

"Anything?" He asked softly as Claudia slipped into his arm and Roy held her to his side.

"Nothing. Even with the jamming now gone, we haven't found any beacon from them." She sighed sadly. "Captain Gloval believes they may have been ambushed and captured by the aliens."

Roy said nothing, his gaze once more turning to the stars.

"You know...my old man was Rick's father's RIO during Storm." He began without preamble. "To Pops, my Dad was his brother, his best friend that he'd been through so much with. And I know my Dad had felt the same. I used to think of Pops as my Uncle. They were that close." He paused, glancing at the beauty next to him, her chocolate orbs locked onto him in interest. He'd never talked about his father, instead always referring to Pops as his Dad. Certainly he'd never told her this particular story. "It took awhile, but Pops eventually told me the whole story about how my Dad died. It had been an unavoidable situation when my Dad was killed. They were flying a deep strike mission with three other teams, aiming to hit an Iraqi forward airbase and knock it out of commission."

He gave a distant look, recalling the story Pops had told him.

"It went smooth all the way until the they were egressing from the combat zone. A flight of Iraqi fighters bounced them near the border. Pops said it was pure hell from the first missile alarm. He'd gotten two of them before one got a burst off tore right into the Tomcat he was driving." His face calm as he told Claudia the story. "It has fried some of the electrical systems and took out his engines. Pops didn't know at the time, but one of the rounds had punched right through Dad's election seat, and he bled out. Pops has always blamed himself since that day, trying to make up for something that wasn't his fault saying that he was supposed to keep Dad alive to come back home to raise me."

"And right now you're feeling regret that Rick is missing." Claudia reasoned, her soft gaze speaking more words of comfort for him than she could say. "Roy, it's not your fault."

"I know that Claudia." He said with a sigh. "I know I can't blame myself, but Rick's my family. How am I going to tell Pops his son is missing?"

"By doing just that Roy Fokker." Claudia stated, hugging him tightly as he pulled her against his chest. "That Rick went missing while doing his duty as is expected of anyone on this ship."

 _If only it were that simple._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick looked up at the massive bald alien with amusement. Sure, he'd seen one before but that had been from the cockpit of his veritech, never from thid perspective. Their captors had folded not long after they had woken and if Lisa was right, the eight hours they had spent in hyperspace had actually translated to having been ten days in real space.

"Greetings Earthlings. My name is Dolza, Commander and Chief over all forces of the Zentradi. You will now submit to my interrogation." He, the one named Dolza, spoke in a deep gravely voice. "Tell us what you know of protoculture."

Rick and the others shared a look in confusion. Just what was protoculture? Maybe that was what they thought was onboard the SDF-1. Rick looked around and his eyes meet the one with the face plate as he glared down at them and Rick sent a fury filled one back at him. Rick couldn't wait to get another Veritech and show this guy the business end of it's gun pod.

"You, the chubby one. Answer His Majesty!" Face Plate ordered, pointing at Ben.

Ben opened his mouth, irritation plan on his his face before Lisa waved him off and stepped forward, her confident and commanding presence clear to all.

"I will not submit my men and I to any interrogation." She coolly stated with a hint of a challenge in her posture, arms crossed and a glare at the alien that towered over her.

"So the little female is in charge." Dolza spoke, amusement on his face from Lisa's statement. "It seems you are drastically underestimating the seriousness of your situation young lady. We have the power to destroy your ship. If you don't believe me, watch what happens to that planet!" Dozla growled out, a holographic image coming to life.

The three humans watched with morbid fascination as several alien ships, Zentradi ships, began an orbital bombardment. They watched the shock waves from each weapon impact as the surface began to super heat. Angry red areas began t spread as they temperature began to rise. With each salvo, more and more of the surface was glassed, with lakes, rivers, and oceans began to dry up. Several minutes of fire had reduced the formally green and blue orb, one that could have been a very Earth like home, was now nothing but a slagged ball of rock.

"Why did you destroy that planet?" Lisa cried out, unable to understand how they could have callously just laid waste to such a beautiful planet.

"Tell me what I wish to know about Protoculture or your world will suffer the same fate!" Dolza growled, grabbing Lisa from the table. The woman gave out a startled cry and Ben quickly grabbed Rick as he tried to save Lisa.

"Put her down!"

"Tell me by what process you have become micronians? Is it through Protoculture?" Dolza questioned, not even phased by the fury of Rick, his question directed at Lisa who was struggling to break out of his grip. "Tell me or I will crush all of you." He squeezed his hand and Lisa cried out in pain.

"STOP SQUEEZING HER YOU BASTARD!" Rick roared, trying desperately to save her. "We're born like this!"

This gave Dolza pause, his gaze turning to Rick as Lisa slumped in his hand, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Born did you say? Born from what?" His gaze calm, but curious.

The room remained quiet as Ben kept his grip on Rick as he answered.

"From the female parent, our mothers." Ben told them, Rick having calmed enough not to rush the giant alien, but still had a murderous expression on his face. "It's no big deal. It's just what happens when a male and female love each other. The birds and the bees man."

"How do you express this love?" Face plate asked, leaning forward to hear the explanation, his early harsh glare replaced by a look of curiosity. The others around the table seemed just as interested.

"Well, by kissing to start." Ben answered uneasily as all eyes were trained on him.

"Demonstrate this kissing." Dolza ordered, pointing at Ben and Rick.

Ben gave a disgusted look and Rick stepped away from his wingman, an uneasy look on his face at the thought of kissing Ben.

"Uh...it works best if it's towards the gender the person prefers." Ben stated, uncomfortable. "Like the Lieutenant, I only like kissing females. Maybe you should have him demonstrate with the Commander?"

Rick opened his mouth to tell them to go to hell, feeling Lisa would be against the idea. She did after all have that nifty micro camera on her person. And he knew that they'd be passing that camera right to the intel boys once they debriefed, well if they managed to escape. He was surprised when he heard Lisa agree to the demand and Dolza placed her back on the table near him, making it clear she was to demonstrate a kiss with Rick. He quickly caught her as she stumbled, still recovering from having her body squeezed by a giant. Rick looked to her, concerned as she turned her green eyes to his.

"Lisa. Are you sure?" He asked, hesitant because of the camera.

"I'm sure Rick." She wrapped her arms around his neck, wincing from the soreness from being squeezed like a lemon, taking a look behind her at Dolza. "Are you ready to observe?" She asked.

Seeing their nod, she looked back at Rick and gave him a small teasing smile that he couldn't help but smile back as his hands rested on her hips, instinctively pulling her close to him until she was against his chest.

"You better curl my toes flyboy." She coyly whispered, leaning in.

"Do I ever disappoint?" His voice low just before he captured Lisa's lips with his.

The two were once more lost themselves in the kiss, only breaking apart from the disgusted sounds coming from the aliens. Both shared a confused look before one of the aliens grabbed them and hurriedly taking them from the room. They had one thought before they were deposited in an empty cell.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Well don't just stand there kissing!" Max's amused voice blasted through his Veritech's external speakers. "Don't you know a jail break when you see one?"

Rick looked in happiness at the disguised form of Max's battloid.

"We thought you were dead!" Lisa told him, happy they had been wrong. "How'd you survive? And how on Earth did you get that uniform?" She asked, referring to the Zentrai uniform that covered his battloid from head to toe.

"I'll tell you later. Let's just get out of here." He bent down, holding a hand out. "Hang on there a moment Ben." He put the other one out for Ben. "Need to make sure you don't annoy the love birds." He chuckled as he put them in the pockets of his uniform. He took a look out the door before he glanced at the blushing pair.

"No need to tip toe around Max." Ben stated, grinning wide. "Besides, you won the bet anyway."

Max blinked before he let out a laugh, understanding just what bet Ben had been referring to.

"Well how about that? When did you two finally get together?" Max asked pleasantly, ready to give his own approval. "Glad to see you prefer a more mature woman Skipper!" Max teased as he opened the door.

"Do we really have time for this?" Lisa asked, exasperated at the joking nature of the two, and embarrassed at how accepting they were that she was involved with Rick. She'd almost think they approved of her, which was odd in a sense. It almost felt like she had been deemed acceptable by Rick's family. She realized that to an extant, that was an accurate thought as the three had become as close as brothers, and that realization brought a warm feeling to her heart.

"Some one is going to hear you and find us out if you talk so loud Commander." Max laughed as they stepped into the hall, all three of the cell mates ducking back down into the pockets and keeping silent. Rick just shook his head as they started towards the nearest intersection. Hopefully they'd pull this off with out a hitch. Yeah right...

* * *

 **Don't fret, next chapter will actually have Max's Excellent Adventure in it, and show more of the Zentradi as they dicuss what to do about the Earth people and how to find out if they've been using Protoculture to attack them with such confusing broadcasts and the bizarre actions of the two micronians that touched lips. (That phrase always cracked me up, especially Myria "Do you think we'll ever touch lips again Max?"). Next chapter will cover the above stated subject along with the horrible escape attempt and the startling discovery made by Lisa and Rick, maybe even a rather heated fluff scene, or not. Haven't decided whether to keep it, or rework it completely for a more serious scene. And eventually their escape. As for the sad chapter...well, it's coming up eventually but you'll be in for a twist! (I know I said that last time but I had to break up all of this so as to not let too much of the story get out to fast! Gotta keep yall wanting more ya know!) So, drop me a review if you made it this far, or else the nightmare will be posted instead of a funny omake I have as an alternate scene to the kissing between the two star crossed lovers. Trust me, I wrote it and I kept shooting pop out of my nose as I read it.**


	7. Chapter 7 The Cost of Escape

**AN: Hey look, a new chapter. Anyway, here ya go. I had to redo a few things on it, but I actually found this chapter to be fairly entertaining. And for those of yall that have reviewed recently, for some reason, the only way I can see them is to read the email alert for them. FFnet says I have 17 reviews but I can only see 10 of them. Not sure and I've sent a message to an admin. Hopefully they can explain it. Soooo...this chapter gets a little testy near the end. You may approve or you may not approve of how I've gone about it, but it's a moot point. Originally, I had Rick getting captured when the others escape, but I actually didn't like how that went. So instead, I've found another way to continue that plot aspect I had originally. And I have hopefully gotten ride of any possible spelling errors and grammer no-nos but meh, it may happen. And that reminds me, if you get a chance, please read Finding Forever by queenybee if you haven't already. A great premise for a story in my opinion!**

 **Recommendations for a good read this chapter:**

 **Mitchell Hunter and the Vietnam War by Dan Rush (Great story showing some back ground for Mitchell "Pop" Hunter and Dan "Tweety" Fokker, both are cannon names per the newest retcon comic release, part of the reason I'm figuring out callsigns for our favorite pilots as well, all pilots have one.)**

 **Second Chances by andrewjameswilliams (Damn fine story time travel fic and the one that gave the push for me to actually put this story up after sitting on it for 15 years. If you have been a fan of RoboTech for longer than two days, read it.)**

 **One and Only by StormAshke (Follow on AU set sometome after To The Stars following everyone's favorite bonehead. Very well written and a great oneshot. I highly recommend it.)**

* * *

Chapter 7

The fight in the hanger bay was heating up. After the giant with the plate partially wrapped around his head attempted to introduce Max to a piece of pipe, the blue haired ace found himself under fire from half a dozen armed aliens who did not seem too pleased with Vermilion's interruption of Commander Hayes' capture. Using the massive strength of his Veritech, Max managed to level a punch into the chest of one of the security giants and sent him stumbling back into his comrades, the impact knocking two of them down, followed by the flailing one Max had punched. They couldn't keep this up, his heat warnings were appearing along with several stress related ones for his left arm and right leg . Which meant Max would need to break the engagement and hope the others survived. He took one final look towards Rick who was being man handled by the Giant that Max had tried so hard to space, guilt welling up inside of him as he shifted his veritech into Guardian mode. Igniting his thrusters, Max shot straight up and went right through one of the many hatches that admitted personnel onto the second floor catwalk. He shoved his throttle forward, shooting off down the thankfully empty corridor, eyes sharp as he looked for a small arms locker or somewhere he could hide out just long enough for his systems to cool. He held his course down the hall for several minutes, his mind screaming at him for abandoning his friends. They could end up killed or some kind of science experiment where the aliens would dissect them. His more logical side, the one he tended to listen to more often, argued that even had he stayed, it would have been of little consequence and at least this way, he could break them out, and do some damage in the process that would hopefully increase the chances of them making it out of this alive.

The blue highlighted Veritech pulled to a sharp stop in front of a pair of what Max guessed were lift doors.

"Well, I don't want to go up that yet, not until I have some kind of weapon to use." He shifted his Veritech back to battloid and back tracked a few seconds down the hall and studied the strange symbols on the door before him.

"Really wish they'd use a language I could read." He mused. "This could either be a security room or, with how our luck has been, a bathroom. Huh?" Max's thoughts were interrupted from a low mechanical hum the Veritech's audio sensors picked up.

A quick glance at the two dull silver doors for the lift confirmed they were the source as what appeared to be a level indicator was blinking rapidly. The Battliod palmed the release for the door as Max kept his gaze on the lift, praying he'd make it in what ever the room was before someone spotted him. He heard the room doors open, and slipped inside, letting out a sigh of relief as they sealed behind him almost silently. His audio sensors picked up the sounds of heavy foot falls as they approached and for one moment, Max felt his heart stop in fear that they might be coming into the same room he'd ducked into. He let out the breath he had been holding as the footsteps passed by with out any pause.

"Oh boy. That was close." He muttered, scanning the monitor with his blue eyes. "Kinda dark in here. Wonder if there is a light switch?"

A moment of fumbling around, the Veritech hand managed to find the light controls and turned on the low white light that was above his head.

"Well that's better. Let's see what-Oh you got to be kidding me." He stated deadpan as he finally was able to see the room he was in. "I was only joking about hiding in a bathroom."

Max had indeed managed to lock himself into a bathroom, and a soft curse left his lips as he had a higher risk of being found than say if he'd been hiding in a storage locker. You only went to a storage locker if you need to restock a shelf, but a bathroom was used a hell of a lot more in a day. He gave a frustrated sigh before his eyes caught sight of something.

"They could have at least flushed."

The Veritech head began looking around the room for a vent shaft that he could possible fit through. A nasty thought crossed his mind that if he got stuck, he'd be stuck permanently. No way for him to get out of the vent and with a realization that it wouldn't be the quietest method either. He had two choice that he could see. One was to just remain here and probably get caught well before he could rescue his friends. Two, was to leave this room quickly and find some munitions he could use. He was reasonable certain he'd be able to use the aliens own weapons against them, but then again, he'd need to figure out how to use them. That plan could very well back fire on him but it was a better option than hiding out in a toilet. Max turned to the doors and was just raising his battloids hand when they opened, and brought up one of the aliens short. Both beings blinked in surprise, unmoving for that spit second before a mechanical boot shot out, catching the alien in his stomach. The blow knocked the wind from him, causing him to double over which was just what Max hoped he'd do. The Human grabbed the alien and spun, slamming it's head into the wall, denting the metal bulkhead in the process of knocking the alien out cold. Slapping the release, Max resealed the room and turned his thoughtful gaze back onto the alien, an idea forming in his head.

"You know. I think those are just the right size."

Twenty minutes later, Max shifted the cover from the alien to hide the battloid's head and looked back down at the body. He looked to the tied up and angry alien that Max was sure was cursing him. The muffled voice wasn't too happy but Max didn't care and delivered a powerful blow that rendered alien unconscious again. Hopefully long enough for Max to get his comrades and get them off the ship. He just needed to figure out where he needed to go. A familiar sensation of vertigo hit Max, and he quickly checked his sensors, a frustrated sigh left his lips as the sensors detected a massive radiation build up around him. It could only be one thing from those particular radiation shifts.

"A fold? Oh great. Can this get any more difficult?" He muttered.

"Reactor heat reaching critical levels." The cool voice of the computer spoke. "Shutting down systems. Beginning heat waste dump. Estimated time until restart: Four Hours."

Max muttered a curse. Of course Murphy would rear his ugly head in response. He had maybe fifteen seconds before his Veritech became as useful as a paper weight in a laundry room.

"Oh no. Better lock the door before the system shuts down." Max hurriedly hit what he hoped was a lock key, and was relieved to see the blue light on the door turn red. "Well guess I'm not going anywhere."

The Veritech's heat system was designed to cut in and shut the mecha down in the event of a preventable meltdown in the core. Normally, he could override it, but they had overridden the system earlier and now, it was unavoidable. He watched as one by one, all of his systems shut down and he settled himself in for the wait. Thankfully for him, he had enough oxygen in the tanks.

"I hope the others are having better luck than me."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Restart complete. Warning, heat sinks operating at forty-five percent efficiency. Recommend immediate maintenance. Primary coolant depleted. Secondary systems engaged. Warning. Prolonged use is not advised."

Max tapped the controls and winced at how sluggish his veritech was behaving. He began pulling up diagnostics and watched the data compile on his display. Besides the heat system being almost shot, he also had several power conduits in his veritech that looked like they had melted along with some of the servos and hydraulics which meant he was going to have to move slow and avoid any more stress on the system. And mode change was definitely going to be a last resort as he had a feeling it would critically overload the system not long after a switch like that. At least it was holding together at the moment and as long as he was careful, he'd pull off this jail break, once he figured out just where his comrades were. Checking once more on his systems, Max hit the door release and stepped quickly into the hall, and the doors sealed behind him.

"Here goes nothing."

The disguised Veritech walked down the hall at a constant pace, and Max was on edge, the fear that he'd be spotted instantly gripping his guts with it's icy grasp. His nerves shot up as one of the aliens, he guessed an enlisted member, was coming from the opposite direction. Max glanced at his heat display and winced. It was already in caution just from walking! He'd probably blow himself up if he tried to fight. The alien drew level with him and Max tensed. The giant gave him a respectful nod and kept walking right past him, heading for the lift. Max felt his tension and nerves leave him just as quickly as the alien passed by him and gave a relieved laugh.

"Well that wasn't too bad." He frowned as he realized he'd been talking out loud to himself. "Maybe I should hit the arcade when we get back. I've been so stressed, I'm talking to myself."

The battloid left the hallway and made a right at the nearest intersection. Max was wandering the halls, awe on his face and even felt humbled by what he saw. This ship was massive with corridors winding this way and that. He passed several mess halls and barracks, understanding that the sheer number of crew members on this ship made any kind of hostile action on his part nothing more than suicide. He was beginning to give up any kind of hope that his friends were alive, surely it would be the talk of the crew that three enemy combatants had been captured. His hope was reignited upon passing by what appeared to be an infirmary and spotted three very familiar people in some kind of container, discussing something amongst themselves. He was just about to make his move when he spotted three heavily armed security teams heading for the bay as well. He cursed and made his way from the infirmary. He should have guessed that they'd have them under guard. After all, he _was_ still on the loose and he had no idea when they'd find the alien he'd borrowed the uniform from. He gave a frustrated sigh as he left the three. He'd need to free them, but how? At least they were still alive and in good health which meant that where ever the aliens were taking them, they would probably interrogate them there. At least that was his hope. If that was the plan, he'd have time to plan out a way to get them free. All he needed to do now was keep his eye on them and it would hopefully lead him to a solution.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Max moved quickly down the hall that held all of the cells for the particular section of the aliens brig, What ever had happened in what Max had labeled the Interrogation room, had happened quickly. Barely thirty minutes after they had been taken in there, the three captured humans had been quickly taken back out and towards the brig. He figured that Commander Hayes had told them off pretty well and had frustrated the aliens to the point that maybe they had been close to violence. Or maybe what ever interrogation techniques the aliens had didn't work on humans and perhaps they needed time to find a better method. Not caring about what gave him this lucky break, Max was determined to use it and get his friends out of there. He was thankful the questioning had been on the same ship. A quick check revealed only one guard, and he was passed out.

"Huh. Guess snoring is a universal problem." Max mused, passing the fast asleep guard. "Your boss isn't going to be too happy with you my friend."

It took him mere moments to locate the correct cell, having heard the voices of Rick and the others. He guessed they had went quiet at his approach, thinking he was one of the aliens coming to check on them. Max hit the release and waited for the door to open. When it did, the sight before him caused his jaw to drop. Unless his mind was playing tricks on him, there was Rick kissing a certain Commander Hayes. It stunned him as his mind was trying to make sense of what he was seeing before Rick's command for Ben to run reached his ears.

"Wait, it's me. Max!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick held onto Lisa as Max accelerated down the hall in guardian mode. They'd barely made it out of the brig before one of the alien guards had called out to them. That's when the weapons fire started in. Who ever Max had stolen this uniform from must have been found and told his superiors what had happened, though if Rick had been his superior, the sight of one of his men naked and probably tied up somewhere would have explained all that would need to be told. He'd urged Max to change modes to guardian to use the better speed available to get clear as fast as they could. He took a quick glance over to Ben to see the man sported an intense look of focus, trying to help spot any potential threats ahead. Rick was proud of how his men had been handling this situation and would be pressing for promotions for them. Ben, for his steady confidence that they'd escape and his rather brilliant plan to at least get out of the cell, and Max for pulling off one hell of a rescue.

"Hang on Guys! We're going through!" Max yelled over the external speaker.

"Max, that's a solid wall!" Ben cried out, ducking into the pocket, an inkling of what Max had in mind popped in his head.

"It'll work!" Max stated. _"Please let this work!"_

The hybrid fighter slammed right into the wall which thankfully wasn't very sturdy, giving easily under the weight and force of the impact. Rick had a split second look at the aliens in the room, spotting the dumbfounded and shocked expressions. They probably couldn't understand how they'd pulled it off, but Rick didn't care as Max kept his throttle full thrust. Max broke into another corridor and poured on the speed as a security team entered the hall behind them and opened fire, most of it missing, but warning lights began to kick on from the rounds that did hit, and his system was screaming at him that his reactor was quickly overheating and the emergency systems that were designed to prevent a meltdown, were failing in their goal. He managed to get the lift open and inside before all his controls became unresponsive.

"I have no control! Skipper, hit the controls!" He called, popping the canopy as smoke began to pour from the joints of the rapidly deteriorating veritech.

Rick climbed out of the pocket, adrenaline pumping through his veins and rushed to the control the Veritech had almost reached before it had stopped responding. The lift doors shut and the humans quickly managed to get to the floor, Rick helping a still sore Lisa down.

"This thing is going to blow Skipper." Max reported, preparing his laser rifle. "All we have left now is just this." He hefted the rifle in both hands.

"Alright, we get out when it stops and get clear before the reactor blows." Rick ordered.

"We should head to one of their launch bays. See if we can steal one of their fighters." Lisa recommended, leaning against Rick for support. The soreness from earlier was mostly gone, but she couldn't help the wince from the pain their sudden movements had caused.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ben quipped, darting a glance to the now heavily smoking veritech. "I hope this lift stops soon because I don't think that reactor is going to hold for much longer."

As if to answer their request, the door slid open and revealed the startled form of a Zentradi security officer. The four humans didn't waste any time and sprinted from the lift and darted around the corner just in time before the reactor finally breached, the explosion being funneled out into the corridor killing the lone Zentradi. Unfortunately, the rest of his team came rushing into the corridor, weapons ready, forcing the humans to split up and head in two different directions. Rick pulled Lisa with him and the two rushed into the nearest room to them while Ben and Max darted the opposite direction, drawing off the security team. Rick was surprised one didn't come after them but figured that maybe they hadn't been spotted. He sent out a silent prayer for Max and Ben to be safe, knowing that dodging the aliens wouldn't be as easy when the Zentradi as they called themselves could cover almost a foot ball field in a few steps.

"Rick." Lisa's shocked voice brought him out of his thoughts.

He turned to see what was wrong and saw Lisa's gaze locked onto something against the wall, her awe present. He followed her focus and felt his own eyes go wide. Along the wall before him, were dozens of tanks. He could see vague humanoid shapes floating the some sort of liquid.

"What...what is this place?"

"I...I think they may be some kind of medical procedure." She spotted three human sized ones with bodies in them as well. "Wait...those three in the smaller ones look just like the ones behind them."

The two made their way to the tanks, Lisa making sure the camera got a clear shot of everything in the room. Rick frowned as he spotted some cables running between the smaller ones and the larger tanks.

"What do you think those cables are for?" he asked, peaking into the tank and seeing a man with unruly dark hair and pale skin. He couldn't tell much about the man as the bluish colored liquid made it hard to see anything. Lisa tapped her chin thoughtfully before she spoke, knowing that her thought on what was going on in this room was becoming more and more feasible.

"I think this is some kind of cloning chamber."

Rick pulled his gaze from the tanks, hand still on it, and gave Lisa a surprised look.

"Clones? Is that even possible?"

"Think about it." She pointed to the tanks. "With how they seem not to care about their lives in battle, and how many of them look the same, it's not too far fetched of a theory. In fact, it does fit the evidence so far."

Rick gave a confused look as his mind went over the possibility. Each fight the aliens seemed to just throw themselves into the meat grinder, not pulling out of combat until they were pretty much wiped out or they completed some unknown objective. They never turned and ran, even if their pod was heavily damage. And their capital ships seemed to not care about damage. They just kept pushing forward until destroyed. And now that he thought about it, each time they engaged the SDF and her airwing, the pods were able to anticipate each action quicker, keeping most of the dead with the human defenders, bleeding the SDF of valuable resources. It also explained how they were able to quickly replenish their losses each battle. His eyes narrowed and he looked to the pods in disgust.

"Those bastards! That's completely immoral!" Rick spat.

"Rick, we can't really hold them to our human expectations and beliefs. For all we know, this is how they reproduce." She cocked her head to the side in thought before correcting her statement. "Well, how they keep their species from going extinct."

"But still...it explains why they don't know anything about love or why big bald boy seemed ready to vomit when we kissed." Rick commented, crossing his arms in thought, missing the blush Lisa was now sporting at the mention of them kissing. "It makes sense that if they've been cloned for awhile, they've maybe forgotten what it's like to live in a society."

"Yes. You could be right. What-Rick!" She hissed out as she pulled her in between the tanks with out warning.

Rick had heard the foot falls before the giants had entered the room and was already pulling Lisa into cover, hiding from their pursuers. He placed his finger over his mouth, signaling her to be quiet, which she complied. She couldn't help the blush on her face as she realized how closely Rick had pulled her and it was making her stomach do flips from the feelings. Rick kept his focus on the aliens as he held Lisa tight to him, merely attempting to keep both hidden as the aliens looked around. He heard one speaking their native language, his deep baritone voice unnerving Rick at how it seemed to also have a bit of an echo to it. The two small humans watched in silence as the aliens began looking at the same level as them. Rick looked back at Lisa who still had her eyes tracking the two giants. He caught her attention and motioned with his head for her to follow. The two began moving as quietly as they could behind the cloning tanks, pausing when one of the searchers came close. It took ten agonizing minutes for them to reach the hall and they picked up their pace coming across a single bridge spanning a darkened drop. Rick chanced a look and pulled back, having not seen the bottom. He was just about to motion Lisa to follow when he heard a deep gravely like bark and saw one of the aliens leveling it's rifle at them.

"Lisa!" He pulled her to him as the alien fired, barely missing the woman who gave a scream at how close the shot had been.

The two began to run as more weapons fire slammed into the bridge, blasting chunks of metal away until the bridge gave a sharp lurch. Rick looked to Lisa, fear in his eyes moments before the walkway gave from the blasts melting the supports. The last thing Rick would remember was the terrified shriek from Lisa followed a a sharp pain to his head and consciousness left him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa took several deep breaths, gulping in great lungfuls as she laid back on the edge of what she figured was a water reservoir. She sat up, still panting from their unintentional swim and brushed her soaking wet hair out of her face so she could check on Rick. She'd watched as his head had impacted one of the pipes on the way down and she'd been terrified it had killed him. She was relieved when as she saw his chest rising. She moved closer to him and set his head in her lap as she waited, running her hand through his soaked hair, smiling as she did so. She looked around and noted the ghastly state this area of the ship was, wondering if the aliens even maintained it. Come to think of it, she had yet to see anyone that even remotely resembled a maintenance crew. Her mind began analyzing everything that had been exposed to and wondered how they kept their ships flying if something that was a necessary as a water reservoir was just left to fall into disrepair like this one was.

"Am I in heavan?" A soft voice asked.

Lisa looked back down at Rick's face, and smiled at the loving look on his face. She shook her head, sending water droplets across the floor to her sides.

"No, and please don't use a cliché line on me about Angels Hunter." She laughed, moving to stop her ministrations.

"Don't. That feels good." He muttered, closing his eyes briefly. "My Mom used to do that when I was younger."

"You know," She drawled, enjoying this momentary break in the seriousness of their current predicament. "It's not smart to tell the woman you are dating she reminds you of your mother. A girl could take that the wrong way."

Rick chuckled before a whistful look crossed his face.

"Well if it helps, my Mom would have loved to have met you."

She saw the brief flash of pain and understood. He'd lost his mother too. She remembered reading it in his file when he'd signed up and felt bad for the unintentional hurt her statement may have caused. But her thoughts were interrupted as Rick sat up and began to look around in wonder.

"Wow, talk about running a ship into the dirt." He commented. "Place looks like it's seen better days."

Lisa agreed and told him about her idea that maybe the aliens only knew enough about their systems to use them but not keep them properly maintained. And perhaps that knowledge had been lost. Her boyfriend frowned, but agreed that it fit into the current information that had about the aliens. Lisa leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as he instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulder, not even minding as she snuggled into his side.

"Can you imagine how sad it is? A whole population devoted to war." He asked, looking down at the still mostly soaked woman, feeling her shivers from the cold setting in.

"In that respect their really not that different than me." She commented, a thoughtful look on her face. "Considering my family has been in the military for the past century. Until you, all I've ever known was life in the defense force. I used to always be so focused on just the mission. Now, well I have you." She smiled shyly at him.

Rick kissed her forehead and returned her smile.

"Well that explains how you ended up top of your class. All of us pilots figure any woman who pulls that off must be Wonder Woman or something."

Lisa gave a soft laugh.

"Yes, Claudia used to tease me about how easily I'm able to order men around." She smirked as she looked back out over the pool of liquid. "Like you men are scared of me or something." She gave him a mock accusing glare.

"Me? Never!" Rick teased. Lisa cocked an eyebrow at him, her amused smirk shining up at him. "Okay, maybe at first." He admitted sheepishly.

Lisa kissed his cheek, rewarding his honesty.

"Well, as much as I enjoy holding you by a pool, I had always intended it to be somewhere sunny, like Florida or maybe even Hawaii. I think it's time we started looking for an exit." He commented.

The two rose to their feet and began heading off along what Rick termed the bank. An hour into their search, they felt a breeze and turned and followed it, hoping it would lead them to some exit. Rick covered his eyes from a harsh glare and gave a happy laugh as he pointed it out to Lisa and the two hurried toward what was now identified as a hatch and stepped through.

"Ah, fresh recycled air!" Rick joked, spreading his arms as if it was the best feeling ever, making Lisa shake her head in amusement.

"Hey! We found you guys!" The voice of Ben Dixon sounded out,

"Ben! Max!" Rick called happily as he say his men running towards them.

"Rick look!" Lisa cried out.

The three pilots turned and finally saw beyond the mist that had cleared. All four watched in fear as what looked to be hundreds, perhaps hundreds of thousands of vessels were docked inside the massive star base they had scene when they first arrived. Lisa felt her knees grow weak as despair filled her at the sight. Her mind was overwhelmed as her keen eyes widened with shock. There had to be at least a million ships here! How could they even fight that number? Even at their peak, the UN Navy barely had twenty ships. And a couple thousand fighters available to them.

"We need to get back to Earth and warn them."

Lisa looked to Rick's determined face, his blue eyes focused on the fleet before them.

"Uh, not to put a damper on the idea Skipper, but any ideas how we can get back?" Max asked, uneasy.

"Look, that ship there looks like it's taking on supplies. Maybe we can hop freight all the way back to Earth?" Ben suggested, pointing towards a smaller ship docked to the one they were currently on.

"But, we don't even know if it's going to Earth Ben." Max pointed out.

"So? It's a better idea than just standing around here." He countered.

"Alright. We're going with Ben's idea." Rick gave Lisa's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Sound like a plan Lisa?"

She couldn't help but feel her confidence return from his cocky grin. Long ago, she'd have been irritated by that cocky grin, now, she felt she couldn't live without it. She nodded and turned to the two men before her.

"Well what are you boys waiting for? We have a ship to catch!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It took them almost twenty minutes to reach the transfer port. The four humans ducked under one of the many pallets of goods being loaded, only leaving their hiding spot once they were clear of the Zentradi guards. With good fortune, they found themselves in one of the cargo bays that seemed to double as a hanger that had several of the Zentradi battle pods in their alcoves. Rick checked the room, and was satisfied that no guards were present and motioned for the others to come out from their hiding spot.

"Well, looks like we have our way off this bucket." Max commented, his normal optimistic personality back after their escape.

"Yeah. And if our luck holds, this ship is headed right back to our home system." Ben sighed and dropped to the ground, the adrenaline wearing off. Max sat beside his friend and nodded his agreement.

"So all we do know is wait." Lisa leaned against Rick, her own exhaustion setting in, feeling safe and secure as Rick held her in his arms. The aforementioned pilot rested his chin on her shoulder as he looked over his men, a look of concentration on his face that Lisa didn't see.

"We'll need to be ready in case we do end up back home. That way we can jump ship as soon as possible." Rick commented.

"Well that sounds like a plan but if they fold back to Earth, it will take several hours so we have time to relax, at least a little." Lisa muttered, her eyes half lidded as she tried to stay awake. Unlike the pilots, she really wasn't trained to handle situations like this. They were able to deal with the high stress as they had to endure it on a daily basis while she didn't. Oh, sure it was stressful working the bridge, especially during combat, but it was a completely different story to be the front line warrior. Rick smirked as Lisa began to nod off and quickly motioned for the others to find something to make her more comfortable as Rick quickly scooped the young lady who had stolen his heart in his arms. Lisa opened her eyes, tiredness present on her face before she snuggled into his chest. Max and Ben came through, finding what appeared to be some kind of cloth package that was pretty comfortable from what Rick felt as he laid a now asleep Lisa on it, and used the space blanket from the first aid kit Max had on him from his fighter. Rick watched as Lisa slept, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face and smiling at the sleeping form of the woman he once had hated. Now, he hated to think what his life would be with out her.

He rose to his feet and motioned for Max and Ben to follow him to the pods. The trio came to a stop by the middle one and the two NCOs waited to hear what Rick was planning.

"Before we get started on figuring this hunk of junk out." He motioned to the pod behind him. "I have an order for you two that you will follow to a 'T' or I will throw you out of an air lock. You following?" His voice deathly calm, his eyes showing he'd broker no argument with them.

Both men looked to each other, worry creeping into them at what this order would be. Max nodded his understanding in Rick's seriousness as did Ben. Rick looked both his men in the eye, and felt pride swell up in him and the sense that what he was about to say was the correct course of action.

"Before I give my standing orders to you, I want to say how proud I am of you both. You have come along way from nuggets and are two of the best pilots I have ever seen. And I am proud to be your flight lead." He told them honestly.

Ben felt his heart swell and Max just nodded, appreciating the praise.

"It's our honor Skipper. You're like family to us you know." Max told him, no trace of embarrassment.

"Yeah. You're like an older brother to us sir." Ben agreed.

Rick nodded with a smile. He felt the same way and it was a pleasant surprise at how quickly the two had vouched their approval of Lisa right after finding out they were together. But it made it even harder for him to expect them to follow his order he was about to give as his face became serious again.

"I know. And I know my next orders to you will be hard for you to follow, but listen and you'll understand." He waited until they nodded. "If there comes a point when a distraction is necessary for us to escape, you two are to grab Commander Hayes, get your asses into this pod, and get out of here." He held up a hand to forestall their outrage at the order as they understood he was telling them he'd be the distraction. "Listen. Commander Hayes has intel that we need to win this war. She is our VIP that we need to protect. You both are great pilots, same as me, but we are expendable. I will not ask either of you to remain behind if it needs to be done. That's why I will."

"But Skipper, the SDF needs you. Commander Hayes needs you." Max pointed out, not willing to allow Rick to be a sacrifice.

"Max, I appreciate what you are saying, but it's my duty to make sure both of you and Commander Hayes gets to safety. We are still on mission, and last I checked, I have final say in any actions taken that result in direct action against hostile forces. The minute this became an escape, my authority overrides Commander Hayes." He told them calmly, and they both knew he was right. With the data the Commander had collected on her recon and with the recent turn of events, that made her return to the SDF priority over anything else. And Rick did have a responsibility to safe guard as many of their lives as possible on top of getting the Commander to safety. Both men could agree to it from a military prospective as the mission did come first. But as his friends, they were absolutely against his orders. Ben even went as far as threatening to knock Rick out and tying him up to prevent it, but Rick leveled a cold glare at them both. "In case you both have forgotten, this isn't a democracy. As your superior officer, I am ordering you that if it comes to it, you will make your escape whether I'm on the pod or not when I give the command to launch. Do you understand?"

Max opened his mouth to protest, but Ben placed a hand on his shoulder, silencing him.

"If that's your order sir, then we will follow it. But let's limit the potential for the possibility it's needed."

Rick nodded his thanks to Ben, appreciating that he understood what Rick was getting at. He didn't like telling them to abandon them, but it truly was his responsibility to get them home. If he was with them, great. If he wasn't, well he'd just hope the Zentradi still only wanted to talk to him. He cleared that thought from his head and the trio began the job of figuring out just how to dive this ungainly bucket so as to not kill themselves in their escape attempt.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick watched Lisa as she slept, trying to memorize ever curve of her face, every strand of hair, every detail of her. He truly could say he loved this woman. He'd like to say it was at first sight, but he'd be lying. They'd argued in the beginning, and mostly Rick could say they blame laid at his feet. He was obnoxious at the time and hadn't grown up at that point. Now, he knew he had, especially with the horrors he had witnessed. He'd gone from borderline pacifist to hardened warrior, hell bent on keeping all he loved safe from a hostile alien species that seemed determined to drag them kicking and screaming to join the dinosaurs in extinction. Rick was fiercely determined to not just stall the enemy, but beat them. His thoughts turned back to the woman before him and he couldn't help but pray that the orders he had given Ben and Max wouldn't need to be carried out. And if he was honest, a big part of it was because he refused to allow a chance that Lisa would not get to safety to exist. What greater gift for a man to give his loved ones than to sacrifice himself for them?

"A picture lasts longer Rick." Lisa muttered sleepily, her eyes opening and looking up to him.

"I prefer the real thing." He told her softly. "And I really hope I get the chance to always be able to be there when you wake up."

Lisa gave him a sweet smile, thinking how adorable it was for him to say that, even knowing just how horrible a person she could be

"Maybe flyboy. How long was I out?" She asked, stretching and letting out the cutest little yawn Rick had ever heard.

"About five hours. We were able to get an idea of how the pods work, even though they weren't kind enough to leave a manual." He informed her as she sat up.

"Do men even follow the manual that's included?" She teased, making him smile warmly at her. She was about to ask where the other two were when he shushed her.

"Careful dear, you'll wake the kids." He whispered with mirth and a head nod to the opposite side of her. For a moment, Lisa allowed her mind to paint a picture of the two of them together, Rick having his arm around her shoulders as she peered into t bed room showing two small children one with her hair color but Rick's unruly style and the other with a more subdued hair cut matching Rick's hair color. She gave a small smile at the mental image as she turned to look in the direction he motioned and gave a rather unlady like snort. Ben was resting his head against Max's shoulder, muttering as he slept while Max's head was leaning straight back, a small trail of drool coming from his mouth. She would have guessed it would have been the other way around but then again, this whole trip was full of surprises.

"Did they say why they were so accepting of our relationship?" She quired, turning to face Rick.

"According to the conceus between the two, you are bar far the perfect woman for me. You've snapped me right back on track when need be and praised me when it was warranted. And you have been extremely patient with me this whole time. As far as they are concerned, they want to be involved in an possible wedding plans." Rick chuckled. "Though that's a bit soon to think about don't you?"

She gave him a thoughtful look.

"Maybe. To be honest, I never gave marriage a thought after...Karl." She looked deeply into his eyes. "But I find myself recently thinking about my future outside of the RDF. And...well...let's just say I'm open to the idea. But we have a way to go before that buster."

Rick smirked and nodded his head in agreement. It was no use to get ahead of themselves by jumping feet first. The piratical side of Rick agreed that they needed to take their time, get to know each other more and take it one step at a time. The human part of him, the one that countered the practical side, wasn't so sure as it screamed at him that she was the one, the one who he'd be with for all time. But Rick still felt that no matter what that part screamed at him, he had no right to rush Lisa. In his eyes, she set the pace. After all, they had yet to spend a night together, and this mission didn't count. The two fell into an easy conversation as the time ticked by, eventually being joined by Max and Ben. At one point, a passing patrol had forced them to end their talk as the Zentradi toured the bay, looking for anything out of the ordinary and the four humans silently watched from the crates they were hidden behind. After what felt like an eternity but was closer to fifteen minutes, the guard left and the four let out a collective breath. The familiar feeling of vertigo hit them, alerting them to the coming defold.

"We need to hurry." Rick spoke and the four rushed to the pod. "Lisa, you get in. Ben, you and Max follow. Let me know once you have it online. I'll keep watch."

The two hesitated, but nodded, a feeling of dread filling them that they fought hard to fight down and get the pod online. If they could do it fast enough, then Rick would be on board and wouldn't need to act as a distraction. The two were working quickly, trying to bring the systems online when the feeling of defold sent a shudder through the ship. Rick kept his eyes peeled as Ben brought the pod online.

"Ready skipper! Let's get the hell out of here!" Max primed the guns, ready to blow the hole.

Rick quickly moved to climb aboard as the Zentradi guard entered again, having heard the start up of the pod. A sudden shout caught Rick's attention and he looked with horror as the Zentradi aimed his rifle and pulled the trigger. Blast slammed into the metal right next to Rick as he was climbing in and the blast sent shrapnel into his right side. Rick cried out in pain from the partial motlen metal pieces and began to fall back, but the timely actions of a laser rifle weilding Ben saved him from being left behind. The steak fueled pilot snarled in anger, one hand pulling his lead into the pod, the other mashing the trigger and sending a stream of blue blots of energy into the face the alien. One of Ben's shots connected with the eye of the giant, and the being roared in pain, dropping his own weapon as Max triggered the guns on the pod and throttled the engines forward, the battle pod sailing out into space. Inside the pod, Rick was gasping for air, the pan was almost to much to bare. Lisa was quickly working to stop his bleeding, blood covering the front of her flight uniform.

"Lisa..."

"Save your strength Rick. Please." She begged as Ben set to work with the first aid kit.

"Can't...breath..." He rasped out.

"Punctured lung." Ben noted grimly as he grabbed out a can of medical foam. "This will hold for a while but we need to get him to a doctor."

Rick cried out as been stuck the nozzle into the wound closest to his lung and and sprayed. To Rick, it felt like someone had poured molten plastic into his chest, but thankfully, the numbing agent in the foam quickly removed the pain. Ben checked the kit and found the pain shot, something that acted like morphine, but not addictive, and administered it to Rick. He labored breathing no longer came in ragged gasps, but he was still losing blood and his face was dangerously pale. Lisa stroked his cheek, fighting to keep her fear that he would die and her tears in check, failing as she watched him grow weaker.

"Stay with me Rick." She pleaded softly. "You're going to make it."

Rick smiled softly and cupped her cheek with his hand, Lisa having to fight hard to prevent herself from losing her control. Rick used his thumb to wipe away the tears that had fallen.

"Don't...cry..." His voice weak and strained. "Be...fine..."

His eyes closed and his breathing slowed.

"Rick. Rick wake up. Don't die on me! Please don't leave me!" She cried as his hand went limp.

She screamed in pain as Rick stopped breathing.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"MEDIC!"

Roy Fokker was sprinting to the alien battlepod, knocking flight crew and pilots aside and came upon the scene of the crew chief preforming CPR on an unmoving Rick.

"No! NO! Rick!" Roy cried out, trying to rush to his little brother's side. He saw Ben and Max trying to comfort a distraught Lisa as they both silently cried. The sounds of boots reached him and Roy spotted the medics arriving. One of them, a young lady took over the CPR after they transferred Rick's unmoving form to a stretcher.

"Got a weak pulse but he's lost a lot of blood! He needs a doc, fast!"

"MAKE A HOLE!" The lead media bellowed, gripping one set of handles.

Roy could only watch as the rushed past with Rick, his mind screaming at him to follow. Seeing Lisa and the others go told him just what he needed to do. They arrived at the military hospital that wasn't to far from the hangers and were asked to wait. Roy dropped into a chair, praying to God that Rick would live. Across from him, Lisa pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in her hands, her body shaking from the silent sobs. Ben and Max had their eyes locked on the doors that t he stretcher had went through with Rick on it. Ben was feeling horrible as he hadn't noticed that part of the shrapnel had punched right through Rick, and hand bandagd everything else except the exit wound. He was muttering it was his fault while Max simple gripped the man's shoulder, trying to communicate it wasn't his fault. Roy locked his own gaze on the clock, watching the minutes tick bay and hadn't noticed Captain Gloval entering the room. Roy moved to stand but he waved him off. The Captain's gaze lingered on Lisa before he spoke.

"Has there been any word yet?"

"No sir. It's been forty-five minutes now."

"Well that is good news so far." He muttered moving to sit beside Lisa.

The woman looked up, her eyes red and puffy as Henry looked upon her, wishing he could somehow help. Instead, he lowered himself into the seat and placed a comforting arm around Lisa as the young woman tried to keep from breaking down. Roy looked once more to the doors.

 _"Come on Little Brother. Don't you die on me after all we've been through. Most of all, don't die on her you stubborn bastard."_ Roy pleaded, his eyes turning to Lisa once more. _"Please don't die Rick."_

* * *

 **Well...interesting twist or no? I always found it odd that no Zentradi Guards actually wondered into that bay and when i rewatched that episode, it bugged the military part of me as I know damn well any and all Military Hardware like a plane or a tank is under guard. Yes, it's possible there was laziness involved but at the same time, I think a species set around war would be guarding their war machines. Tiny prisoners who can't reach the door handle, not so much but a freaking battle pod bay? but I digress. Also, in the episode The Blind Game, after Rick came to from his fall, I found Lisa to be absolutely adorable with how shy she looked while talking to Rick. My anime crush is Lisa Hayes lol! Anyway, review or I'll pull a game of thrones on you!**


	8. Chapter 8 What Dreams May Come

**AN: Okay, I told a fib. I'm actually stuck in a writing frenzy at the moment so I haven't yet gone back and reworked the errors in the other chapters. I will be ironing out those minor problems after I post chapter 10, and probably making some alterations to certain plot aspect to ensure it makes for a more flowing narrative. This frenzy comes about from having binge watched RoboTech and now re watching Sentinels, and once that's done, The Shadow Chronicles and maybe Love Live Alive (I'm not sure about that one as honestly I had hoped it would show something about the SDF-3's fate. I mean come on! You can't leave Rick just hanging out near a black hole God's sake! It's cruel and inhumane to us RoboTech/Macross fans. I blame Harmony Gold...). Waiting for someone to call and give me an interview for work means I have a lot of time on my hands as you can imagine. So, to key off a few reviews:**

 **Giulio: That wasn't very much of a threat, as Miriya could be rather fun in that regards(wink wink). And I have no issues with the, ahem, dangers I may face. Unless you were meaning before she was micronized then yes, that is more of a hazard to me! As for promotions for our three bone heads, well you have to wait and see now won't you?**

 **Sscaldwe: Thank you for your review and I'm glad you like how I'm using the frame work of the first series and adding my own spin on it. Gotta love how fan fiction allows us the freedom to make our own alterations!**

 **Fer: That is indeed true about Rick and Lisa. It was a very realistic flow of how the two hardheaded leads overcame the flaws the preceived the other had and actually found friendship before they found each other. I admit, I'm a hopeless romantic so I've always been partial to that pairing. It's more believable than most anime couples, in fact my other favorite is Naruto/Hinata as he was an idiot and she was too shy to say anything. And as for the ugly events to come...well let's just say it will impact the characters much more as to be honest, I found the time skip they did kinda useless but we have to remember, Hamrony Gold combined three seasons of Macross into one after they went about cutting content and such to make it fit their idea of how it went. Need to get my hands on the original versions.**

 **Guest: Not sure if you're the same who reviewed from chapter one, but it's kind of a moot point. Glad you are enjoying my take on an old classic and yes, I'm trying not only to update my style in my original draft, but to also try to make it more...realistic. Anime in general can be unrealistic but the times it sticks to something we all feel is normal actually allows us to feel connected to it. That's what I'm trying to do to be honest.**

 **Now, on to the chapter. The Aftermath of Rick becoming a pin cushion. Now, I'm drawing from my own experience with minor injuries when I was in the service. I've never been hospitalized for any major injuries and most of the time they happen in my family, I've either been out of state or (when I had a job) working. So those details are a bit fuzzy. Anyway, read and review please. I thrive on those guys.**

Chapter 8 What Dreams May Come

Weightless. That's what Rick felt. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times to get rid of the discomfort that came from the almost blinding white light. He craned his head around, trying to ascertain just where he was or how he got there. His mind replayed the events just before he had lost consciousness, and he gazed to his own body to see how bad he had been hurt. The pain from the molten metal searing into his flesh and muscle had been a distinctly uncomfortable experience. So had the sudden sharp pain in his chest. Ben had said something had punctured his lung. He remembered Lisa pleading with him to stay awake, his blood splattered on her flight suit and her tears as he fought to stay awake long enough to tell her not to cry for him, that it would be fine. He'd told her that knowing full well he was dying. Dying. That word echoed through his mind and sadness filled him. He was dead. Had to be. This void he was floating in, it was the afterlife. Or at least, the part before his soul was judged and sent to either heaven or hell. He felt at piece, as he knew in his heart, he was a good person and hoped the being that would judge him would think so as well. He'd done his best to be a good man and to protect those close to him. His only regret was not knowing if Lisa had made it back. If any of them had made it back to the SDF-1.

"They did if you were curious."

Rick's eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice that seemed so familiar to him.

"Who...who said that?" Rick called out, feeling his body move and the world around him dissolved from the bright void into a hill over looking a very familiar body of body of water. The smell of the sea hit his nose, while the soothing touch od a gently breeze creased his face. Rick smiled as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the warm sunlight shining down on him. He knew this place well. It was Macross Island, untouched by anyone, not even the SDF-1. It was still pristine But how? He opened his eyes and began looking for who ever had spoken. "Seriously, what's going on? I asked a question here."

"Still the same stubborn young man you've always been my son."

Rick turned and froze in shock. Standing before him was a woman he had not seen in a very long time. Her brown eyes held a warmth and kindness in them that he knew so well. She stood almost a foot shorter than him with a slim face and her light brown hair seemed to be swaying in the gentle sea breeze. He took a long look at her, his heart swelling with emotions as she merely smiled lovingly at him.

"M-Mom? But...how...you're...?"

She gave a musical laugh he remembered do well that tore at his heart.

"Yes Rick. I'm here." She gave him a bemused look. "And it seems you've definitely have your father's eloquent ability to state the obvious. Must be a military skill hmm?" She teased stepping up to him.

"But...you died. How am I seeing you?" A nasty thought crossed his mind and sadness crossed his face. "I'm dead then, is that it?"

She cocked her head to the side, still smiling at him.

"That's really up to you, son. Right now, the doctors are fighting hard to save your life." She told him as she walked to the edge of the hill and looked out over the ocean. "It really is a beautiful view. Come, sit with me Rick."

Rick was unsure of what was going on and sat down next to his mother, arms resting on his knees as he brought his legs close to his body, the surprise of seeing his dead mother still shaking him to his core.

"You asked if you were dead. Right now, you're on the edge." She told him, turning her head to face her son. "You'll make the choice if you want to pass on or continue to live and fight like you have been."

Rick felt shame swell up in him and he turned his eyes back out over the ocean.

"I bet your probably disappointed in me Mom." He muttered.

She looked at him with confusion before it clicked. He was worried she wasn't happy with the life he had chosen. She scooted closer to Rick and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Rick. My son. I am nothing but proud of the man you have become." She told him honestly.

"How Mom? How can you say that when all I have become is a killer." He bitterly spat out. "You always told me you hated how the service had changed Dad. How he always seemed to be so distant at times."

"Rick, look at me." She gently commanded him, locking her almond colored orbs on her son's blue ones. "I did hate what you father went through. And yes, I'm not to fond of the military. But I understood why he went. And I also know very well why you signed up. I don't think you or your father are killers. Stubborn asses at times yes. But killers no." She laughed, easing some of Rick's doubts. "Besides, you've become involved with a very lovely young woman because of it."

"Lisa." He whispered her name softly, his mother giving a knowing look that all mothers had when their children were in love.

"Yes. Lisa. Quite a smart young woman. And very beautiful too." She cocked her head in thought before a large smile appeared on her face. "A perfect match to keep you from getting into too much trouble. Something I always had such a hard time doing. You were always such an adventurous child." She mused, a nostalgic look crossing her delicate features. "Always wondering off into the woods to chase down what every animal that caught your eye. To sneaking out and flying the old trainer your father always swore was locked up to tight for you to get to." She finished with a knowing look and Rick felt like a child being scolded.

"Pop liked to leave the key in his right boot." He mumbled, causing her to laugh.

"Yes. I told him you'd catch onto that fact." She mused. "But let's talk about you, my son. Why haven't you told anyone about your turmoil? Why haven't you talked to Roy? Or do you think your Big Brother is going to call you a killer too. We both know how much it hurt him for you to call him that."

Rick dropped his head to his chest.

"I know. It's just...I guess I know I'm not. I fight to defend those close to me. To keep others safe. But...I always remember when I overheard you and Dad arguing not too long before you...you died in that car accident." He whispered, not daring to look at her.

She seemed confused before a look of sad understanding crossed her face and she pulled her son into a loving embrace as his body shook as he let his pent up emotions out.

"Rick...you have to understand. I was upset with your father and blamed him for your brothers signing up. I did call your father a killer, because I was just so angry and hurt from your brother's death." She explained softly, trying to comfort her son. "You may not believe me, but I was actually intending to apologize to him the day I was killed."

Rick wiped his tears as he listened to her speak. It had been so long since he'd heard her voice and he truly had missed his mother dearly. It was pain that was amplified due to his thoughts that his mother would have hated his choice in joining.

"Rick, I really am proud of you and all you have accomplished. To see you fighting to keep your friends safe, keeping your hope that you'll win this fight...I have never once been ashamed of you. Though I admit, I was not too happy with how rude you were to Miss Hayes when you first met her." She scolded.

Rick couldn't help but laugh and saw his mother's annoyed expression before it melted back into a sad smile.

"Our time draws to a close Rick." Her voice laced with regret that they had so little time to speak. "I pray you'll chose to live. And that you'll hold on tight to that young woman my son. She really is perfect for you and I really do approve of her."

"I do want to live Mom. I really do. Besides, who else is going to keep Lisa on her toes?" Rick joked sadly as a thought entered his mind. "Is...is this even real? Or am I just dreaming it?"

His Mom gave a mischievous look as she began to fade as did the rest of the island.

"Ask your father about the note I left him and you'll find your answer." Her voice began to fade. "Goodbye my son. I love you."

"Mom wait! Please don't leave me!" Rick cried, quickly climbing to his feet and rushing after her shade.

"I haven't left you Rick. I'm always with you. We'll see each other again when it's time..."

Rick watched as she faded completely from view, a part of him now completely at piece as darkness enveloped him. For a moment, a symphony of confusing sounds assaulted his sense of hearing before he once more lost consciousness, but not before he heard a cry of triumph.

"His vitals have stabilized! He's going to make it!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Every eye in the waiting room shot to the door as an exhausted doctor came out six hours after Rick had been rushed back, blood on his gown. Roy and the others rose to their feet as the man approached them and gave a small smile that spoke more than his words could, and the relief that swept through the room was almost palpable.

"He's going to make it." He told them. "It was touch and go for a while and we did almost lose him, but he's out of the woods now."

"Can...can we see him?" Roy asked, tears stinging his eyes as he mentally jumped for joy that his brother would live.

"I don't see why not. They're taking him to recovery. I will say he is very lucky. Some of that shrapnel tore pretty close to his heart. Half an inch higher and he wouldn't have made it." He paused before he broke the rest of the news. "We don't know how much he will be affected after he heals, but we fear there may be some damage to his spinal cord. A piece passed by very close. He's not paralyzed, but he may have some lose of feeling in his legs. We're just not too sure how much." He admitted.

Roy gripped the doctor's shoulders, his gratitude to the man carried by his eyes.

"Thank you for saving his life Doc. Thank you." Roy's voice was thick with emotion as he fought back tears.

The man gave an appreciative nod and flagged down a nurse to take them to see Rick. Captain Gloval gave a relieved sigh and sank into his chair as both Max and Ben seemed to melt from how relieved they were. The Old Man took one glance towards the three headed off to see Rick and a small happy smile crossed his features.

"I think we should let them visit for now." He rose to his feet and winced at the stiffness in his body from sitting in the uncomfortable seats. "You two and Commander Hayes will be debriefed tomorrow after the intelligence department goes over the recordings on Commander Hayes' camera. I suggest you both get some rest. And perhaps a change of clothes." He spoke to the two who nodded.

Henry took one last look toward the direction of the recovery room and gave a short nod as he mentally requested a speedy recovery for Rick. While the three in the Waiting Room left, feeling like a massive weight was lifted off their chests, Lisa found herself in the room Rick had been placed and sat herself put in the chair beside his bed. Her shaky hand found Rick's and she gripped it gently so as to not disturbed the IV in his arm. The constant beep of the heart monitor was more reassuring to her than the doctor was as it was proof he was alive and hadn't left her. Her heart swelled in joy as she looked down upon him. Despite the bandages wrapping what little she could see of his torso, she didn't even care as she watched his chest rise and fall. Roy watched his brother, his own thoughts giving praise to the doctors.

"He's tough. That's for sure." Roy joked, trying to ease the tension they were all feeling.

"He sure is." Claudia agreed, slipping her arm around Roy.

"I hope he'll be okay though. With what the doctor said.." Lisa paused, swallowing hard. "If the damage was too severe, he'd have to turn in his wings. And I know how much he loves to fly." She gently ran a hand through Rick's hair.

"That maybe true, but I think Rick will pull through. Let's worry about that later and just be thankful he's still with us." Roy suggested.

Lisa didn't responded as she watched Rick's face, her thoughts turning to the man before her. _No matter what the future holds, I won't abandon you Rick Hunter. Not now, not ever._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So these Zentradi really have no idea about us?" Colonel Maistroff asked incredulously. "And that something on board our ship is valuable to them?"

The three before him nodded their heads, Max having been informed of the theory before they had escaped in the battlepod. The assembled officers that made up the board before them merely looked skeptical. They didn't buy Lisa's theory and scoffed at the mention of what the aliens called Protoculture.

"Some mystical energy source on this ship?" Colonel Emerson snorted. "I don't believe it."

"Well hang on there Rolf. It could be the truth." Wolfe spoke from his position next to him. "There is still a lot we don't understand about this ship. This...protoculture could very well be aboard."

"You're actually buying this bull? For all we know the aliens want us to spend time we don't have looking for it. Just for them to have an opening to kill us all once our backs are turned!"

"I think we should see what Headquarters thinks." Maistroff spoke, trying to forgo any kind of argument, even if he himself was skeptical about the Protoculture story. "I'll prepare a data burst."

"No Colonel, you won't." Captain Glovel stated calmly, turning his gaze to the three command level officers. "It is my intention to keep this information to ourselves until we know more. As for your disbelief in my crews report, perhaps you have forgotten the video evidence brought back to us by Commander Hayes." Henry pointed out, pulling his pipe and lighting it.

Maistroff snorted, his arms crossed in defiance.

"Yes, and while we are on the topic of the recording, I'd like to recommend a reprimand be placed in Commander Hayes' and Lieutenant Hunter's files followed by an investigation into possible fraternization between them." He really had a dim view on any relationship between ranks that was not purely professional. Henry favored the man with a flat look, before a small smirk appeared on his face.

"You can recommend all you like, however, it will not be followed." Henry watched the disapproving frown on the man's face. "I understand you prefer to do things by the book, however, allow me to point out that the regulation you are speaking of has been repealed fairly recently. Or have you not had the time to read through the newest data burst from Headquarters yourself?" Henry asked, pleasantly as he took a puff from his pipe.

The man blinked in confusion before he muttered unintelligibly, bringing a small comfort to Lisa. She now understood why the Captain had suggested she take a look into the newest regulations. And now, she guessed, it would be all over the ship soon enough that she and Rick had gotten together. A sudden thought crossed her mind about what her father would say. She supposed she'd probably have to wait to find out as sustained communications were still too intermittent due to the jamming, but thankfully, they'd found away to break the jamming long enough for short data bursts. Doctor Lang was still fighting with it and trying to keep the ship running in one piece. Lisa glanced at Captain Gloval as the man took a thoughtful look.

"I want a team put together to comb this ship from bow to stern and check for any kind of clue as to if the SDF-1 does indeed carry some device the Zentradi are seeking. Until anything concrete is found, consider this information classified." He took a long look around the room before he nodded, satisfied that despite the prevailing disbelief amongst the other officers, they would still follow his orders. "If that is all gentlemen, you are dismissed. Commander Hayes, if you and your men would wait for a few moments, I wish to have a word with you three before you leave."

Lisa gave a sharp salute in response and Henry waited until the room was clear before he spoke.

"Each of you preformed above and beyond anything I had expected from you. And I wish to say how very proud of all of you I am, including Lieutenant Hunter." He paused, noting their curious yet accepting looks of his praise. "Corporal Sterling and Corporal Dixon, I know it is traditional for a flight lead to present any promotions to his men, but I am sure Lieutenant Hunter will not mind in this case."

Henry rose to his feet and stopped directly before the two men, pulling two small boxes from his uniform pocket. The two shared a look before they accepted them from the Captain, but did not open them yet as he began to speak again.

"I am recommending that both of you are awarded the Titanium medal for valor for your actions taken during such a dangerous mission. Since I can not present them to you until I have the required merit written, this will have to suffice. Go ahead and open them." Henry ordered gently, a small playing across his face.

The two pilots opened the small boxes to view the contents. Both were shocked as while they hadn't expected a promotion to be a very large one, the officer bars inside said otherwise. Both looked up to the Captain in surprise and he chuckled.

"You both have more than earned these. Your lead's reports on your progress, not to mention your performance before your disappearance, showed me you are both ready for this." He spoke confidently, while Lisa looked on his pride at the two. She knew Rick would be thrilled for them.

"But sir...what about our flight?" Ben asked cautiously, not liking the idea that maybe their team would be broken up to shore up other squadrons on board.

"Vermilion will remain intact Lieutenant Dixon." Henry enjoyed the flash of joy on the young man's face. "I have no intention of toying with what has worked so well."

"Sir, I think I can say for both of us that we are honored and appreciate your faith in us." Max began. "But it was really Lieutenant Hunter that got us through it all."

Gloval nodded his head in understanding.

"I am well aware. Do not fret, he will also be awarded for his own bravery in the face of insurmountable odds in bringing you all home safety. You are, each of you, a credit to the uniform. I can not stress enough how proud I am to have you in my crew. You will each also be receiving the prisoner of war medal, as long as I can get that passed by Headquarters." Henry informed them.

"Sir...if it's not too much of a presumption on my part, are you going to be promoting Lieutenant Hunter as well?" Lisa asked, curious as to the plans that the Captain had for her no longer secret love.

Henry gave a kind smile to her.

"I was planning to ask you to deliver this," He held up a third small box. "to him when you stop by the hospital. I am only hopeful he has awakened."

She accepted the small box and tucked it into her jacket pocket before she spoke.

"As do I sir." She kept her composure but Henry could detect the hope in her voice that he'd wake up sometime today.

"You may go now. And again, excellent work you three." Henry praised once more before exiting the room, leaving the now three officers to their own devices. Max let out a low whistle as he held the officer bar in his head, still not full believing he'd just been promoted.

"Lieutenant Sterling. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He asked with a grin.

Lisa shook her head, amused.

"Just don't let it go to your head. Now let's go see if your flight lead has woken up yet."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick blinked the sleep out of his eyes. His mind, foggy and unfocused, tried to figure out just where he was. A sharp pain shot through his body and Rick winced, letting out a pained groan as he screwed his eyes shut. Once it had passed, he opened his eyes and began to take in his surroundings. He couldn't figure out where his was as he took in the the wall to his right. At least he knew it was late as the view from what he was starting to recognize as a hospital room showed the darkened streets of Macross city. Rick began taking in the room, as the soft lights from the hallway left just enough illumination for him to take in his surroundings. He spotted a small pile of what he guessed were get well soon cards and what looked like a fruit basket set a top the dresser opposite of his bed and it brought a small smile to his face. But what really made him smile, was the sight of the woman he had grown to love asleep in the chair. She had apparently fallen asleep while holding his hand and was using her other arm on the bed as some kind of pillow, her long hair pooling on the bed sheets. Rick watched she she slept, his smile turning gentle as he reached over with his other hand, and stroked her cheek. He watched as she seemed to lean into the touch, letting out a soft sigh at his ministrations. He really wondered just what he'd done to deserve her.

He really had no idea how long he watched her sleep, but he felt that he could watch for an eternity if she'd let him. The door to his room opened quietly and Rick spotted a nurse entering with a clip board. She paused as she noticed he was awake and opened her mouth to speak until Rick placed a single finger across his lips before he pointed to the sleeping form of Lisa. The nurse gave a small sigh before she nodded her head and left the room, deciding to let the doctor know in the morning that he had woken. Rick turned his gaze back to Lisa, but sadly, she seemed to have been roused from her slumber by a combination of his movements in signaling the nurse to remain silent and the door opening. She sat up, stretching with a small groan and started to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"What time is it?" She muttered softly, as she opened her eyes to check her watch, still not aware that Rick was awake.

"Pretty late Lisa."

"Mmm...one thirty in the morning is early, not late." She mumbled before her brain realized that it was Rick's voice that had answered.

Her eyes snapped open, all exhaustion forgotten as her eyes landed on the warm smiling face of one Rick Hunter. Her eyes became misty as she quickly reached for his hand.

"Rick. You're...awake? This isn't a dream?" Her voice was hoarse as she looked into his eyes, not believing what she was seeing.

Rick didn't answer, and cupped her face in his hand, leaning awkwardly in and kissing her gently. He broke the short kiss and rested his forehead against her's, a smirk now in place.

"Is that proof enough?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

She nodded, still not trusting her voice as Rick continued to cup her cheek with his had. She took a shuddering breath, her eyes searching his, making sure he was really alive.

"I thought I had lost you." The pain in her voice made his heart ache and guilt welled up as he thought about just how much pain and fear she had probably been through.

"I'm sorry Lisa. I'm sorry I hurt you again." He closed his eyes, anger at himself starting to replace the guilt. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Just...don't leave me, please." In the past, she'd have hated sounding so...dependent towards anyone. She had never wanted to put herself in the position where her heart had become so attached to a man again. But this cocky little pilot had managed to not only worm his way through her icy and harsh front, but he managed to capture her by the heart. She truly saw him, a Warrior laid up in the bed, his hands calloused as a testament to the battles he'd left from as the victor. His eyes, warm but held a hard look in them, an edge that helped him come back time and time again in one piece. He was death in battle, unafraid in the face of deadly odds, willing to stand in defiance of the darkness, protecting the innocent with out a second thought, and yet, outside of the cockpit, he was one of the most gentle souls she had ever known. Her mind was finally accepted what her heart had been trying to tell her. That she was in love with this man. "I can't go through something like that again."

Rick rubbed his thumb across her cheek, taking in just how truly vulnerable she was at the moment. There was no wall up that she used to protect herself. Her eyes showed just how raw the emotions she was feeling were, how exposed she was. He swallowed hard before he spoke in a thick voice.

"I can't promise that Lisa." He spoke with regret in his voice. "No pilot can. But I will promise that I will never leave you willingly."

He watched her delicate face as she closed her eyes briefly, those green orbs had shown a brief flash of pain at his words, and for a moment, just a moment, he thought she was going to walk away from him until those same emerald eyes opened and locked onto his. And he saw understanding and acceptance at his words.

"You're right." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "But if you die on me, I will storm the gates of heaven itself, bring you back, then kill you myself." She half threatened, a watery smile on her face.

Rick gave her a grin, silently praying that he never put her through the pain of dealing with his death.

"Understood Commander." She snorted in response, and Rick just chuckled. "How long have I been out of commission?"

"Two days."

He winced, the surprise at that information not really phasing him as the realization of just what kind of hell Lisa and his friends had gone through over the time overpowered his shock.

"Ouch. I guess you and the others already debriefed?"

She nodded, sitting up and stretching, not realizing that Rick's eyes watched as she arched her back enough to ease away the tiredness in her muscles. The young man hadn't noticed she had been wearing a simple gray short sleeved shirt that clung to her body just right, his eyes darkening as he enjoyed the view. A sharp snap of fingers broke him from his thoughts of how sexy she looked right then and he looked up at Lisa, embarrassed he had been caught checking her out. She gave a smirk as his cheeks reddened and he tried to sputter out an apology, looking so adorable to her at that moment. She hadn't intended to give a little show, but she found herself feeling smug at how Rick reacted.

"Eyes up here Rick." She teased.

"Sorry."

"It's okay Rick." She assured him. "It's flattering really."

Rick laughed as she preened on the edge of the chair and had to admit, she cut quite a figure in regular street clothes. She lost it not long after Rick started laughing, and her own musical laugh joined his. The brown haired nurse from early peeked her head in once again, a small smile playing on her face at the sight. She'd heard the rumor that these two were together. Now she had proof. Her friend on the bridge would love to hear about this.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Rick Hunter, you will follow the Doctor's orders!"

"But Lisa, I feel fine. Really!"

Roy shook his head in amusement as he entered the room. He almost burst into laughter at the sight before him. Rick looked defiant while Lisa looked down right mad, her hands on her hips and a glare that probably could melt the bulkheads with the heat behind it. Rick opened his mouth to continue his argument, but Lisa put a hand over his mouth, leaning over his bed and speaking with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"You listen to me Rick Hunter. You just survived having more metal in your body than your veritech does. You will go to physical therapy until the Doctors say you are ready to return to duty! Do I need to make it an order?" She demanded, green eyes blazing green orbs while Rick continued to glare right back in defiance.

"I hate to interrupt this little lovers spat, but maybe I came in time to stop you from knocking him out Lisa." Roy laughed.

Lisa shot a glare at him before giving a disgusted scream and pulling her hand away from Rick, who was wearing a victorious smirk.

"Rick! That's disgusting!" She yelled, wiping her now wet palm on a nearby towel, and glaring at Rick.

Roy gave a boisterous laugh as Rick merely gave her a very smug look, his arms crossed as his eyes danced with amusement.

"Well, don't cover my mouth with your hand."

"That doesn't give you the right to slobber all over it you know." She shot back.

Roy gave a perverted smirk before he opened his mouth.

"Is there some where else you'd prefer he slobber?"

Lisa flushed red and leveled a glare on Roy that promised him pain if he kept up that train of thought while Rick just shook his head. Roy would never learn.

"Why are you here, Commander Fokker? Other than being some lecherous moron?" She snapped.

Roy held his hands up in defense, as if to ward off an attack from the young spitfire.

"Hey now Lisa. I'm just coming by to check on Rick!"

She gave a humph before crossing her arms over her chest and sent a short glare at Rick.

"You will be going to the physical therapy or I'll pull your flight status." Her eyes softened, a pleading look taking the place of the harsh one that was there just seconds before. "Please Rick."

Roy watched in amusement as Rick looked to Lisa, silently rooting for his brother to hold out as a fellow male recognizing the look on Lisa's face. He was counting the seconds in his head as Rick kept his defiance up. This was better than any other entertainment. He watched as Rick's resolve slowly began to erode away as Lisa uped her game, adding a tear or two. Rick couldn't keep his stubbornness up much longer, not at the pleading look those puppy dog eyes were sending his way. It was only moments before he deflated and gave a defeated sigh.

"Fine Lisa. I'll do the therapy." He grumbled.

Her expression changed so fast Roy feared she'd get whiplash as she leaned down and kissed his cheek, hitting him with a sweet smile that made Rick's head spin.

"There. Was that so bad?" She laughed at the flat look he gave her. "Now, I need to go freshen up. You have fun with Roy and I'll be back in a few hours to see you." She squeezed his hand gently before stepping out of the room. Roy dropped into the seat that Lisa had vacated, favoring his brother with a serious look. The silence stretched on for minutes as Roy simply studied the man before him. Rick started to fidget under the look.

"You scared me Rick." He stated finally, his serious expression unnerving Rick. "When I saw them cart you off, I felt...I felt like I'd lost another brother."

"I'm sorry Roy." His whole body language apologetic.

Roy sighed and placed a hand on Rick's shoulder, his concern for his little brother plain on his face.

"Just...try not to end up half dead next time, will you buddy? You give me enough heart attacks as is."

Rick grinned at his joke and nodded.

"I'll try." He paused before he continued speaking. "Roy...do you believe in the after life?" He asked, his tone subdued.

Roy looked at him with confusion before he decided to indulge his brother. A near death experience will certainly change your prospective on things.

"I believe that we move on to another plane of existence. As for heaven and hell? I've never really been a religious person Rick." He gave him a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"

Rick took a deep, steadying breath before he spoke.

"I saw...I saw Mom Roy. Right after I lost consciousness."

"Well, maybe you did Little Brother. Maybe you didn't."

He turned his blue eyes to Roy, begging him to just listen. Roy gave an apologetic expression and motioned for him to continue.

"I never told you, but part of me has been against wearing the uniform since I joined. Because...well...you remember the fight her and Pop had."

A look of understanding from Roy spurred Rick to continue. It had been not long after the news of Sara base had been released. The argument that the two had had was one of the worst fights Roy ever saw them go through. He'd been comforting Rick when the raised voices had interrupted them and Roy had felt hurt at her blatant declaration that any one in uniform was nothing more than a glorified killer. He knew she hadn't meant it, but it had made a negative impact on Rick after that,

"I thought she'd be ashamed of me for...killing."

"Rick. Is that what's been bothering you? You think you've become a killer?" Roy asked softly, realizing that Rick hadn't fully left his old mindset about the military behind just yet. It had troubled Roy in the beginning that his brother had suddenly seemed to change over night with a desire to join the defense force. And he had moments where Roy would see the old Rick surface when they talked. He kicked himself for not seeing the conflict in him. As his Big Brother, Roy should have seen it. "Rick...you're no more a killer than I am. Or Pop for that matter."

"I know Roy. And...well I was able to talk to her, to tell her my fears. She told me to pretty much that I needed to stop worrying as she was proud of me for doing what was right. She did hint I should be less of a stubborn ass though." He told Roy, both brothers sharing identical wistful grins.

"Yeah. She used to tell Pop that." Roy chuckled, remembering days long past. "She sure was a spitfire and would snap Pop up when he was being too damn stubborn at times. I remember she almost had to beg with him to let you fly."

Rick's eyes widened in surprise. He'd always thought it was Pop that had to beg with her, not the other way around. Roy saw Rick's surprise and grinned.

"Yup. Pop didn't want you near a plane until you were an adult. He was overly worried you'd get addicted to flying and follow off in my footsteps. Your Mom reminded him flying was in the Hunter genes." He chortled.

"I didn't know." He felt the need to apologize to Pop now for being so angry with him as a kid. "But something she told me...it helped me find peace in myself. Being able to finally put that fear to rest..." His voice trailed off, his eyes closing.

"I know what you mean Rick. We all have doubts about ourselves. I'm just glad you were able to put your own fears about you place here to rest." Roy commented, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I personally never doubted you. Now, you rest up. Scuttlebutt says they might release you into for your own welcome back parade."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick tried not to frown as he took his place besides Lisa and the others on the stage. He really didn't want to be paraded around like some kind of poster boy, but Lisa had firmly told him that if she had to deal with the public has much as she had after winning the pageant, then he needed to suck it up and do it too. It's not that he wasn't appreciative from the welcome back, it's just he'd rather not be on stage and hero worshiped for doing exactly what he felt was expected of them. Though he did acknowledge the fact that they were the first human's captured by the Zentradi and had managed to get away was an impressive feat. He could just do with less pomp and cheer. To his right, he heard Ben complaining as well.

"Thought we were ordered to rest. Look at my uniform. It's already fraying."

"Ben, you could probably relax in a dentist chair." Max joked. "Besides, it's not like this is going to happen very often, so just enjoy it."

"You have a point Max, but...still. It's weird."

Rick mentally agreed with him as the host stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand as the crowd cheered loudly.

"Ladies and gentlmen! Here are the four young officers who have miraculously escaped from the hands of our enemies!" The crowd roared as the spot lights all centered on the four officers. "You all recognize your Miss Macross, and our favorite space heroine, Commander Lisa Hayes!"

Lisa gave a polite wave and a smile that brought about a loud cheer as the applause picked up. Rick smirked as he noticed how uncomfortable those titles made her. It had only been a split second, but knowing how to read her moods, he'd caught it and filed it away for future use. His thoughts were cut short when the spot light flicked to him and he quickly composed himself as the host began speaking again.

"A pilot that has already become a legend with his impressive feats in battle, Lieutenant Commander Rick Hunter!"

He snapped off a sharp salute, not letting his thoughts out. To say he'd been surprised by the promotion that Gloval had given him, and considering it wasn't very long since he'd been commissioned as an officer, it seemed like everything was happening way too quick. The crowd, however, seemed to cheer just as loudly for him as it did for Lisa, who took a quick glance at him and smiled proudly. He really had come along way and Roy agreed that he truly did deserve the jump in rank.

"And certainly not least, the intrepid wingmen, both rising stars themselves, Second Lieutenants Max Sterling and Ben Dixon! And to show our appreciation and support for their incredible service, our newest singing sensation, Miss Lynn Minmei!"

"I think I'd rather be trapped back on that Zentradi ship." Lisa muttered.

"Hey now, you're a hero Lisa. Enjoy it." Rick teased as Minmei walked on stage flanked by a young officer carrying flowers. Lisa sent a short glare at Rick who merely smiled at her as Minmei walked before her, her white dress shinning in the spotlight.

"Congratulations on your safe return." Minmei smiled, placing a bouquet in her arms.

"Thank you miss." Lisa accepted the flowers as Minmei moved on to Rick.

"Congratulations on _your_ safe return." She smiled brilliantly at a now uncomfortable Rick. "You handsome devil."

Rick muttered his thanks as Minmei gave him a wink and moved on, handing out the other bouquets to Max and Ben. Rick glanced over at Lisa, seeing a playful smile on her face.

"What's the matter...you handsome devil? The attention getting to you?" She teased, not at all threatened by Minmei's attempt at flirting with Rick. She found it amusing at how he seemed to fidget under the eye of the public. Rick shot her an annoyed look that made her giggle.

"Yeah yeah. Keep laughing."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where do you think your going?"

Rick froze at Lisa's voice. They just heard the all call for military personnel, and Rick was going to use it as an excuse to leave his appointment early. Unfortunately for him, Lisa had anticipated this and had entered through the very door Rick was headed for. She cocked an eyebrow, arms crossed, and giving him a knowing look. Rick rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly.

"Well, uh, the call came through and I-"

"You're going no where Mister." Lisa interrupted him, her voice firm. "First, you are on limited duty status which means no flying until you are delcared fit for duty. Second, we are on furlough as ordered by the Captain. And three, I'm making it an order for you to finish your appointment."

Rick opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it, knowing he wouldn't win this round. He grumbled and went back to the weights he had been told to use to help easy away any issues. He really felt fine and tried to tell the doctors that he didn't need any physical therapy, especially as the fears that he had any lose of feeling in his legs turned out to be false. But they wouldn't bug one bit, they merely marked down how he felt and then directed him to several exercises they wanted him to do. Rick scowled at Lisa who simply motioned for him to get on with it.

"Chop chop Lieutenant Commander. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can tell you about something I recently found out from the Captain"

Rick stuck his tongue out at her and went back to the exercises. Really, was this all necessary? Lisa and the doctors seemed to think that. One agonizing hour later, Rick skulked out of the office and joined Lisa as they headed for a cafe not too far down the street for lunch. He listened to the update from the PA as Kim delivered the after action report for the benefit of the civilians. Apparently, the enemy had attacked them while the SDF-1 ran the gauntlet to break through the enemy blockade before abruptly breaking off their attack.

"I thought we'd been ordered to steer clear from Earth for the time being?" He asked Lisa as he sat down next to her.

"We were. But Captain Gloval feels that the information we brought back warrants our return. He's determined to deliver it in person." She explained, lifting the menu. "I fully agree with him."

"I suppose it is. How'd the board go when they found out we kissed for the aliens? Better yet, I'd love to hear how you explained it."

Her cheeks flushed a bit and she gave him a smirk.

"Maistroff wanted to put us on report, citing we broke regulations. Which reminds me." She said with an air of someone remembering an unimportant detail. "Did you know they repealed the fraternization regulation four months ago?" Her eyes didn't leave the menu, but her small smile could be easily seen.

Rick cocked his head to the side, a smile starting to play across his lips.

"Well, that's news to me Commander. I guess it's a good time for us to come clean." He chuckled.

"It is isn't it?" Her smile turned into a smirk. "Which means I can introduce you to my father with out worrying about the regulations." She finished in a sweet tone, glancing at Rick as the color drained from his face in realization. He gulped, some fear appearing in his eyes at the thought of meeting Fleet Admiral Donald Hayes. He had only one comment for that little bombshell.

"Oh...joy."

* * *

 **Okay, few little notes here. Yes, they made it back to earth. Finally. And yes, I kept the welcome home party thing that was held in their honor. And yes, I made Rick a Lt Commander. I figure, if saving Lisa got him bumped to Lt, managing to bring back his whole team, his superior officer, the full intel (video included!), and pulling off one hell of an escape that no one else in the RDF had pulled off, then he damn well earned a rather large bump up the chain. If you don't agree, well think of it this way: They were losing pilots and officers almost faster than they could replace them, which means there had to be many gaps in the chain. Look at most of the Wars the US has been involved in. Back in the day, an E-5/Sergeant could end up getting bumped to O-1/Second Lt in the span of one fire fight in a few cases. It's not unrealistic to think that something similar would happen on board the SDF-1 since there weren't any reinforcements from Earth during their trip back. Logically, it makes sense. Anyway, next chapter will have a few twists including Lisa's father meeting Rick for the first time. I already have a good mindset for Admiral Hayes (The father not the daughter) in how he goes about dealing with Rick. Not to mention I plan to bring Pop Hunter into the story and some Zentradi scenes as well. Plans are in motion...any who, hope you enjoyed. Remember, a review will keep Khyron from taking an interest in you,**


	9. Chapter 9 Counter Point

**A/N: Nine chapters in and now over 70,000 words. Been a long time since I broke that point. Anyway, here is a new chapter for you guys. No real action but again, it is relevant to the tale. This chapter, as promised, will start to diverge from the cannon story line. We've already had some changes so far, the biggest is Rick using his brain. Now I'm gonna hazard a guess that many did not seem to like the last chapter very much. No bad reviews or flames, but I would appreciate something here guys! After all, I can only get better if I know where I messed up. I personally enjoyed writting both Chapter 8 and this one more than the others, but that's only because now, I can develop the characters more and start to branch out with both current mindsets and background info. Now, quick note. I've found conflicting information for Pop Hunter. One source has his name as Earl, the other as Mitchell. If you couldn't tell by my last Chapter's end notes, I chose the retconned name for him. Well, enjoy the chapter! I'm not going to put any spoilers about this one in here.**

* * *

Chapter 9 Counter point

"You meddlesome female!" Khyron snarled at the image of Azonia. "Why did you interfere?"

She gave him a flat look as she crossed her arms and spoke with a tone of authority that boiled his blood.

"We were ordered by Breetai to observe the micronian vessel and only to contain them for now. Thanks to your rash and reckless actions, we have failed in that objective." She coolly replied. "We'll never be able to prevent them from landing back on that planet of theirs now."

"I had them!" He bellowed, slamming his fist on the console before him, ignoring the sputtering of sparks from the now damaged controls, his goblet contents sizzling away as the circuts began to spark and pop in a dangerous manner. "I had those miserable insects in my grasp! If you had not moved to shield them from me, we could have ended this drawn out farce of a mission!"

"And if _you_." She spat out. "Had followed orders not to engage, then we would still have them. You forced my hand and unfortunately to stop your foolish attack, I had to pull vessels from containing them to stop your madness from getting out of hand."

"So it is my fault they broke through?" He growled out, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "They broke through because of your poor job at leading us to victory! If you and Breetai would stop tip toeing around and actually attack with our full might, we could have ended this cat and mouse game ages ago!" He snapped, hurling his goblet at the nearby bulkhead, shattering it.

"Listen well, Khyron." The dangerous tone in her voice promising pain towards the insane man. "Our orders come from Supreme Commander Dolza himself. If you wish to inform both him and the Masters as to why you destroyed Zor's fortress, go ahead and continue your attack. But be warned," She leaned close to her monitor, her dark eyes a blaze in anger. "You will not go unopposed should you disobey our orders. I will use every ship under my command to burn you from the stars. Are we clear, Khyron?" Her sharp tone carrying her threat.

"Crystal." He ground out, slamming his hand on the control to shut off the monitor. "Damned that woman! She does not seem to understand how pointless this is when we can simply take what we desire! I'll need to think upon how I can remove her before Breetai returns. Then...then I can take that fortress and burn these insects into oblivion where they belong." He spat out, turning his crazed eyes back to the image of the rapidly retreating vessel.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Commander Grant, how long until we reach Earth?" Captain Gloval was studying his display intently as damage reports continued to roll in from their recent fight with the Zentradi war machine. Strangely enough, half of the enemy fleet had _shielded_ the SDF-1 from their fellows. It was a puzzle to an enemy that was rapidly turning into one of the most complex Henry had ever had to deal with.

"Estimated at three hours at present velocity sir. On our present heading, we will enter the atmosphere a little over six minutes after arrival."

Henry frowned as his eyes were drawn to the reports from the _Prometheus_.Minor damage to the launch catapults and some thermal damage to her hull. A realization snapped to the forefront of his mind, a detail he had severely overlooked.

"Vanessa, contact Doctor Lang in engineering. Tell him it is urgent."

"Aye sir. One moment Captain." The young woman called out, pulling the ship directory up and sending the page to the German scientist that had almost single handedly saved the ship on several occasions himself. It was a sad fact on any warship that the men and women that kept the old girl moving never seemed to get the praise they deserved for their own deeds. Henry hoped that the promotions he'd authorized for his engineering crew would be enough until he could sift through all the paper work and personnel reports to find just cause to award them medals of there own. If he had his way, every member on his crew would be awarded medals for bravery, feeling they had all earned them. The screen before him flashed, the tactical display giving way to the calm face of the smartest man on the ship.

"Captain." His thick German accented voice greeted the tall Russian. "What can I do for you?"

"Emil. I apologize for pulling you away from your duties, but a situation has arisen that I am ashamed to admit I over looked in my desire to return to Earth." Henry paused, feeling foolish for over looking something as serious as the situation at hand. "As you know, it is my intention to land this ship back on Earth. The purpose is two fold. It will be much more efficient to offload the civilians on board and second, we will be able to take on the supplies and support staff needed to repair many of our systems in a timely manner. But there is a serious obstacle to overcome."

As Henry spoke, Emil Lang's expression turned serious, his mind quickly agreeing with the logic behind the Captain's plans. But his keen intellect already realized the rather sizable problem. And that was the two wet Navy carriers attacked to the SDF-1 in place of the ARMD cruisers that would have normally been in their place, had the aliens not blasted them into their component molecules that is. He already figured out what Henry was going to ask.

"The _Daedalus_ and _Prometheu_ sclass carriers are true marvels of engineering. But they are not space worthy vessels." Emil pointed out, mentally going over the schematics for both ships, trying to figure some way to avoid a rather messy reentry. "Their hulls are made from a titanium alloy specially manufactured to resist corrosion and to handle the hull stress from ocean pressure at significant depths. The alloy itself can withstand temperatures up to 1725°C if I am not mistaken." He explained, his thoughtful expression in place. "The problem is, the heat of reentry can exceed 2,900°C depending on our speed upon atmospheric contact and angle of descent."

"Which would completely destroy both carriers." Henry surmised, causing Lang to give a nod on confirmation.

"Yes. And that would get quite messy should their reactors breach. Landing would be the least of our worries." His thoughtful look returned, as an idea popped into his head. "If we could achieve a stable low Earth orbit and use a similar flight path as the old space shuttles used by NASA, I theorize that the heat would only rise to around 1,600°C. The hulls would have severe heat damage to them even if we go with that idea. And this is all under the assumption they built them fully to specifications."

Henry frowned but agreed. When those ships were built, it was a time of war. And that meant that the yard dogs and manufactures for the hull plates could have cut corners in an attempt to launch both vessels as quickly as they could while keeping the boats relatively safe for their expected lifetimes. And here he was, attempting to put them through stresses the designers had never in their wildest dreams would have thought possible or anticipated. What a fine mess he had gotten himself into.

"So...what are our options to get back ground side?" He soldiered on, hoping Lang had another brilliant idea up his sleeve.

"If we settle into LEO, we can separate from the carriers, leaving them in orbit while the SDF-1 lands." Emil answered. "We could rig some kind of control system that will allow them to maintain their orbits for some time. That plan would take several hours to accomplish."

"And if the aliens return, they would be unable to defend themselves. That would be an unacceptable risk Doctor." Henry had to keep his frustrated tone in check. There had to be a way to shield them some how. And it was if a light clicked on in his mind. "What about the barrier? Could we not use that to help mitigate the heat stresses to the two carriers?"

Emil's face registered surprise from the Captain's statement. It actually wasn't a bad idea, but he could already see problems with it as his mind went over the possibility.

"It could theoretically act as a heat shield for them. However, it would only cover as small location, leaving the rest to be at the mercy of reentry. Even if we moved the barrier over them constantly, targeting the worst of the thermal stress, we would create an uneven heating effect on the hulls, would could be fatal if a seal breaks or the plates warp out of position which would lead right back to a fatal disaster for us all." Emil cupped his chin in thought as he looked over the overlays for the two carriers, his eyes taking in the details. "Both ships have heat exchange conduits that run the length of them fairly close to the outer hull. Perhaps..." He trailed off, his mind crunching the numbers at an inhuman pace. "If we were to re purpose those conduits and funnel the barrier energy through them, it could amplify the hull strength over a much larger area. Not by much as the plates can only be enhanced so far, but more than enough to survive reentry with hopefully minimal thermal damage."

"How long would such modifications take Doctor?" Henry asked, watching the Doctor's eyes go wide. Emil waved his arms frantically as he spoke, as if physically attempting to banish that thought from the Captain's mind.

"We are talking a highly theoretical possibility here Captain Gloval! Something like this has never been attempted!" He almost yelled. "We'd need at least a week of simulations to even test if it is a viable option. Not to mention that the work required would take close to six hours to even accomplish!"

Henry gave a thoughtful look before he shook his head in apology.

"I'm sorry Doctor. We have important information that needs to get back to Earth. Important enough that I will not risk it over the communication channels nor a shuttle. You have two hours Doctor." Henry ordered before he cut the conversation, hearing a stream of what he supposed were German curses coming from the man, and turned his gaze to his crew. "Claudia, evacuate the _Daedalus_ and the _Prometheus_ off all non essential personal. I want every Veritech and every piece of munitions moved to the holds of the SDF-1."

"Yes sir!"

"Vanessa, send the all call to begin landing preparations. I want everyone at their post and every civilian in the shelters." He ordered. "And make sure you inform Commander Hayes and Vermilion they are to report as well. Their furlough is being cut short."

"Aye sir!"

"Sammie, keep your focus on the sensors. If the enemy so much as sneezes in our direction, I want to know immediately."

"Yes sir." The girl chirped in response, her eyes locking back onto her display.

"Kim, send word to the CAP. They are to remain on station for the next two hours." He glanced at his tac screen. "Once the landing call comes in, they are to make emergency combat landings in the main hanger only."

Kim gave a nod of her head and began immediately sending out the Captain's orders.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Uh oh!" Ben muttered, swerving the jeep deftly out of the way of Commander Fokker's.

"Just where are you three going?" He demanded.

"All call came in. We're headed to our landing stations." Max answered

"That doesn't include you, you morons!" Roy yelled, his hands coming off the wheel as he yelled, forcing his passenger to grab the wheel least they wrecked. "You have orders to remain behind! And you Hunter, are on limited duty!" He bellowed.

"Not anymore." Rick replied, smirking as Roy took the wheel back. "Besides, Captain cut our furlough. Orders straight from the Old Man himself."

"No one likes a smart ass Rick!" Roy muttered. "And until I see those papers clearing you for Duty, you're not setting foot in a veritech."

"Got them right here, Commander." Rick said, holding the papers in his hand.

"Give me that." Once more, the Jeep started to swerve as Roy reached over and yanked the papers out of Rick's outstretched hand. "Thanks." He muttered to his now fearful passenger.

He took a quick look and frowned before he shot a look at Rick.

"Fine. Let's get to the hanger." The jeep sped up and pulled ahead as Rick shouted to the blonde ace.

"That's where we are going. Unless you want to fight the enemy all by yourself Big Brother." His mirth filled voice called.

Roy spun around his his seat, jeep swerving once more as he let go of the wheel to yell at Rick.

"How would you like to report to the brig for insubordination wise guy?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Commander, time to reentry."

The bridge was a hive of activity as they prepared to began landing procedures. Captain Gloval had originally wanted to aim for a ocean landing, but reconsidered as the intel they had recovered from his captured crew would need to be delivered with out delay to Alaska Base, the primary RDF headquarters, and the fact that Doctor Lang recommended Alaska as with atmospheric physics, the atmosphere was less dense nearer the poles than over the equator and would allow them to mitigate the time the carriers were exposed to reentry. The girls were diligently manning their stations, Lisa included. Henry felt a twinge of regret having to cut her furlough short, as the woman had literately never taken any of her leave she had accumulated. Once she reached the maximum of 180 days on the books, she'd sell back all but ten days of it, keeping those days in reserve if she ever needed time off for sickness or for a family emergency. Though he had to keep a small smirk off his face as she had seemed disappointed, at least somewhat, having the time she was spending with Rick cut short. Henry had to fight down the smug thought that he was indeed correct that young Commander Hunter was a good match for the serious woman, and seeing how she had become more relaxed over the past few months only reaffirmed his suspicions.

"Twenty minutes Captain." Claudia replied, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke.

"Captain, Doctor Lang reports that the modifications to the carriers has been completed. He has asked me to remind you that he can't guarantee it will work and has recommended we stand by with the emergency separation for the carriers in case the system fails." Kim reported from her station, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I'm also getting intermittent hails from headquarters, but the jamming seems to have intensified. I can't make out any of it sir."

"Hmm...technically, we should assume that Headquarters is merely trying to order us to return to our previous position." Henry mused with a smirk. "However, officially, I will instead believe that they are trying to warn us of our reentry profile and are asking us to alter our heading to land as close as possible to Alaska Base so as to minimize any possible damage to civilian population centers as we know nothing off orders to remain away from Earth. Do you girls agree?" He asked pleasantly as his eyes remained locked on the display showing their current flight path.

"It's the only explanation I have sir. So it must be correct." Lisa calmly replied, her business like tone hiding any of her amusement. The other girls smirked and chirped out their own agreement, while Claudia gave a smirk at Lisa. The woman really had changed this past year, but her biggest change had been after Sara base. Claudia once again thanked one Rick Hunter as she returned her gaze to her display.

"Sir, our secondary fusion thrusters are fueled and ready."

"Good. Once we have completed re-entry, we will use them to help land safely."

The minutes ticked back slowly, each of them sending a small prayer for a successful re-entry and not a fiery death. Lisa's mind recalled the Columbia Disaster from some years back. The shuttle in question had suffered fatal damage from the impact of foam insulation from the external fuel tank on the carbon-carbon tiles lining her left wing that had punctured a small hole in the critical protection. The doomed shuttle had broken up during her decent as hot plasma burned through the small hole, melting the wing and sending the shuttle on an uncontrolled re-renty, burning up and killing the heros on board. They faced that same possibility if the modifications made to the two sea based carriers failed and the only warning they would get would be a few alarms before the reactors blew. The crew waited with a sense of apprehension as the Earth grew larger.

"We've made atmospheric contact Captain. 400,000 ft and dropping. Deceleration engines firing." Claudia reported.

"Commander Grant, bring our bow angle to positive zero four zero. Full port rotation by two three point five degrees. Bring our re-entry course to zero five five. Continue deceleration burn with ventral thrusters." Henry ordered, his eyes checking his displays.

"Aye sir."

The mighty fortress gracefully lifted her bow, rotating to align herself keel down as ionized plasma began licking across her hull, her human built rockets firing at precise intervals to help slow her decent. Normally, the anti grave generators would be used to bring her speed down and help ease her through the planetary atmosphere and gently to the surface. But since those generators had decided to break from their rebuilt housings a year ago, they needed to rely on the fusion thrusters designed and constructed by human hands. The massive vessel began to slice through the atmosphere, heat building along her hull.

"Heat warning. Hull temperature is at 600°C and rising." Claudia reported.

"Sensors are offline sir. The ionization is blinding them." Lisa reported, gripping her hand rail as the ship shuddered. Just out of the main view port, she could see the dull red of the hull as plasma built up, flashing over the bow, increasing in intensity. It looked as if the Massive ship had been set in the middle of an open fire.

"Comms out too sir!"

"Should clear up in the next few minutes. Please keep an eye on our two carriers." Gloval responded, gripping his command chair as the ship gave a massive shudder.

"We just passed into the thermosphere. Altitude is 360,000. Heat levels rising to 1,000 sir!" Claudia reported form her station, the shaking was worsening as the gravity systems were working over time to compensate.

"Steady as she goes Commander." Gloval ordered, keeping his voice calm, yet on the inside, worry began to creep in. "Status on the carriers?"

"They're holding! Hull stress alerts have come online, but no signs of any significant damage."

Henry nodded his acknowledgment of the report. It was too late for him to abort any way. The bridge was silent as they continued descending towards Earth, with Claudia calling out the altitude. Henry kept his eyes looking straight ahead as what looked like a wall of flame had blocked his view to the sky. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the flames roared past seeming only to increase. Minutes seemed like hours to him as the hull temperature reached critical levels, hitting almost two thousand degrees until they finally passed through the inferno that was re-renty. The flames died off as the massive ship slowed to a more reasonable speeds and the hull temperature cooled. He let out a breath of relief as the reports came in. Other than some burned out power relays and a few bumps suffered, there was no major damage aboard his ship. He couldn't help the feeling of victory that welled up inside of him. Despite the best efforts of aliens, they had finally managed to return themselves to the planet they each called home. The massive fortress soared through the night sky, on course for landing at Alaska Base.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You were ordered to remain away from Earth. Just what game are you playing at Henry?" The annoyed face of Admiral Hayes stared back at him.

Henry gave an embarrassed cough as Donald had seen right through his facade of not having received that set of orders. Both men knew very well he had indeed gotten them as the communications logs showed confirmation of the orders being delivered. Admiral Hayes' face softened moments later as he spoke.

"I can't say I'm angry at you disobeying them since you've returned my daughter. How...how is she?" He asked, hesitantly. It was his greatest shame he'd missed so much time with Lisa and how he had been emotionally distant to her as she grew up. Henry smiled as he took a drag from his pipe, watching the smoke curl and drift from his pipe.

"Happy. She is the finest officer I have ever had under my command Donald. You would be proud of how much she has grown."

The man on the monitor smiled lightly.

"I see. When I last spoke to her, she was still rather cold towards me."

"I think you'll find she has finally opened herself up. In fact, there is a young man you should thank for finally breaking her from the self imposed isolation she was in." Henry watched with amusement as Donald's eyes widened before they narrowed dangerously as he understood what Henry had meant.

"Who is he?" He bit out, trying to keep his father instincts in check. Henry chuckled at the man's reaction, enjoying it immensely. Here was a man that had once chased down a carrier battlegroup in a wounded destroyer and managed to sink damn near every ship with out any emotion. Now, he was ready to ward off a threat to what he felt was his job to keep his daughter safe and happy.

"You will meet him tomorrow. You will be at the briefing, yes?"

Donald sighed, annoyed that Henry wasn't telling. He should have known the old Russian would find too much enjoyment at Donald's discomfort.

"All of us will be in attendance. The council is throwing a temper tantrum that you returned against orders." He shook his head in disgust. Both men hated when politicians tried to play tactician. "But if this information you've discovered is as important as you think it is, well they can go suck on a rail road spike." He stated bluntly. "Any edge we can get on these aliens and their allies if they have any is more important to me than some senator throwing his toys out of the crib because he isn't getting his way. You do know they are calling for an official reprimand in your file right?"

Henry gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

"It would not be the first time such a thing has happened. The difference between them and me is that I know I am right."

Donald chuckled as he shook his head.

"And that's why I'm an Admiral and you're a Captain Henry. You never knew when to play nice with the politicians." He mused.

"I prefer the ability to kill my enemies rather then coddle them. And unlike you, I can still do so."

"Alright Henry. I need to get to a budget meeting so I'll see you at the brief tomorrow. I look forward to seeing my daughter and whoever this dead man is that thinks he's worthy of her."

"I think you'll find he is a good man. And I believe you will approve of him. But yes, I will see you then. Good day Admiral."

The channel closed and Henry chuckled to himself. Tomorrow would be a truly interesting day but he still had much work to do before he could retire for the day. He pulled out a data recorder and prepared to file an after action report on everything they had gone through over their trip back to Earth. He merely hoped that his superiors wouldn't be too upset that he hadn't sent them a report yet. Henry shrugged as the thoughts of their agitations crossed his mind. He honestly wouldn't be bothered if they were.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick idly tapped his fingers on the desk as he stared at the blank vidcom before him, nerves flaring up in him. He knew he had to make this call, but what would Rick say? Pop had made it abundantly clear he didn't want his boys joining. And now, Rick would be telling him the last of his sons had joined the service. His eyes showed his worry and his posture was one of hesitation. Would he even answer? His thoughts were broken as a pair of slender arms wrapped around him and Lisa rested her head on his shoulder, the simple contact soothing his nerves.

"Are you okay?"

He opened his mouth, but closed it, knowing it was of no use to lie to her. After all, she could read his moods pretty well for the most part. He let out a sigh.

"No." He answered after several seconds of silence. "Should I call? An email would work."

Lisa gave him an understanding look. She knew what he felt as she too was hesitant to call her father. Only difference was, she'd see him tomorrow where as Rick's wouldn't. She nuzzled his cheek, enjoying the closeness as Rick's eyes closed and his hand gripped her forearm, almost as if he was grabbing for a life preserver. In effect he was.

"I think you should. I sure he'll be thrilled to know you're alive. Not that you've made that an easy accomplishment." She teased.

Rick gave a snort before he sighed.

"Alright. I'll call." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You'll stay?"

Her kiss told him all he needed to know. The man grabbed the handset and began dialing. The screen snapped on, displaying it's request for him to stand by while it rang the number. Moments ticked by until the display changed, this one showing the face Rick knew so well. What appeared to be a man pushing into his mid sixties, his auburn hair almost coming off as a dark red with some grays here and there. The dark blue eyes seemed to lack the spark of life Rick remembered so well. His cheerful tone certainly didn't seem to reflect his mood if someone knew how to read him.

"Mitchell Hunter speaking." He greeted before his eyes widened as he registered who it was calling him. "R-Rick? Is that you?" His voice became a whisper as shock flared through him, his eyes growing misty as he took in the sight of his youngest boy staring at him from the vidcom. "H-how can...I don't..."

Rick watched as his father closed his eyes tightly, tears starting to drop down into his beard. His heart clenched painfully as he realized just how much pain he had probably put his father through. And that meant that he had no way of knowing his boys were alive and well. The man on the screen took a shaky breath before he opened his eyes, relief showing in those twin pools of blue.

"I thought you were dead son. You and Roy. When that island disappeared...only thing those damn politicians would say was it and that junk heap of a ship had been destroyed by some aliens that came looking for it." A joyful look reappeared, this one true as his gazed upon his son. "I'm happy to see your alive, but why haven't you called before now? Why'd you let me think you were dead?" He seemed to finally notice the young woman draped over his son and a sly smile slid onto his face, already guessing what she was to him. "And who is the pretty young lady there with you Rick?"

Rick glanced at Lisa who just smiled brightly at him, a simple nudge conveying her message. A wide smile graced Rick's face as he turned his attention back to his father.

"Pop, I'd like to introduce you to Commander Lisa Hayes. Lisa, this is Captain Mitchell 'Pop' Hunter, retired US Navy combat pilot."

Lisa gave a small nod in greeting to the man on the vidcom, feeling a little intimidated by his gruff appearance. Which made no logical sense to her as she had stared down a thirty foot tall alien with no problem, but yet speaking to Rick's father, well it caused a lot of nervousness in her.

"It's nice to meet you sir." She greeted polity.

Pop's leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard thoughtfully as he looked at Lisa, noting that she looked vaguely like some one he used to serve with. The last name bounced through his head before it latched onto the only person he had ever met with it.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to a certain arrogant ass named Donald Hayes, would you?" Seeing her shocked face and Rick's red one, he quickly decided to explain his rather blunt discretion of the man in question. "I apologize if I offended you. I knew him when I was stationed on the Nimitz. He tended to annoy the hell out of us as he knew every regulation in the book, backwards and forwards and never hesitated to correct me if I broke the littlest one. Tended to walk around like he was smarter than the rest of us."

Pop watched his son palm his face, embarrassment plain as day, and the young lady with him just stared in disbelief at what she had just heard. Mitchell gave an apologetic look as the seconds ticked by before Lisa smirked at him.

"At least I see where Rick get's his bluntness from." She laughed. "And yes, Donald Hayes is my father sir. It's rather ironic that for two generations now our families have served together." She noted with weary amusement. Rick just felt like it was creepy as he saw his father nod with a smile.

"True enough. But you two seem to get along better than me and old Donnie did. We tended to butt heads on occasion." He remarked ambiguously before he took a look at his son, spotting the uniform he wore. Rick felt his father's eye study him, almost expecting some kind of criticism that he joined. "Uniform looks good on you son. I guess you're a pilot for them huh."

It wasn't a question, it was a knowing statement.

"Yes sir."

"How good is he Commander?" Pop asked, directing his gaze at the young woman.

Lisa smiled lovingly at Rick as she answered, her gaze not moving from her flyboy.

"The best we have. Better than his brother." She replied, though she did admit she was biased. Pop let out a deep belly laugh in response as Rick felt relief pass through his body. Pop seemed to accept that he joined and wasn't upset at him.

"Don't let Roy hear you say that. The kid is good, that's true. But Rick seemed like he was born to fly. A natural in the cockpit, but then again, it's in the Hunter genes." He stated with mirth. "I guess you're an officer then Rick?"

"Started as an enlisted man Pop before I got commissioned." He answered, remembering that his father had always said the best officers came from the enlisted ranks. Of course, he'd say that since he himself had gone mustang for his commission.

"And now he's a Lieutenant Commander with his own squadron." Lisa supplied, enjoying the banter between them, and taking pleasure in watching the proud look cross Pop's face.

"Really now? That's quite the accomplishment in less than a year." His expression grew serious. "And I'm guessing the 'how' follows the 'why' since I haven't heard from you in almost a year. Are you...safe?"

Rick shared a look with Lisa, debating whether to tell his dad the full story or not. He saw Lisa's small movement of her head telling him it wouldn't be a good idea. And Rick agreed since the government had labeled them as dead which meant they were hiding what happened to at least some degree. He turned his apologetic look to his father.

"I'm sorry Pop. But I can't tell you. Not until we know if it's been classified."

Pop seemed to want to protest but nodded his head after a seconds hesitation.

"Alright. I can understand that. Least now I know why Donnie seemed happier than a kid with a sucker earlier today." He mused, the pieces falling into place.

"You spoke to my father?" Her surprise matching Rick's. Neither of them had been aware that their fathers had known each other, let alone served together at some point in the past.

He nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"He reached out to me after...the incident." His eyes narrowed as he almost spat out the word. "When we thought you guys were all dead. Said it was his duty ultimately since Roy was stationed on that ship of yours. We talked about a month ago about a few things." He noted the stares, his expression becoming defensive. "What? Just because I hated his attitude doesn't mean I won't talk to an old ship mate. Besides, he had an offer for me to be a flight instructor up in Alaska. Said he need the best pilots to help train you wet behind the ears kids in the fine art that is flying. Age be damned."

"Are you going to take him up on that offer?" Rick asked, hesitant. He remembered well his father's distaste for cold weather. Actually down right hate would be a better word. The man really did not like being anywhere that the wind would hurt your face.

"I just might. If I can squeeze the truth out the scrawny little-"

"Dad!"

Lisa had to bury her face his Rick's shoulder to prevent herself from laughing. She'd only ever heard praise about her father, things like how great of a man he was or how brave of an officer. To hear someone speak bluntly about him was refreshing to say the least,

"Sorry." Pop said with a tone and smirk that indicated he was anything but. He took a quick look at the clock and frowned. "Sorry I gotta cut this short son. I have a show about to start. Give me a call this time tomorrow if you can." His face softened, conveying his emotions as a father to his son. "You be safe son. And Commander, please keep him out of trouble."

Lisa squeezed Ricks hand gently before she responded, her eyes showing the amusement she felt from the conversation so far. At least it would be easier for her father and Rick to meet since Admiral Hayes knew Mitchell Hunter. Or so she hoped at least.

"I'll see what I can do sir. He doesn't make it easy as you probably know."

Rick snorted while Pop smirked, already liking this girl

"True. It'll end up being a life long job if you're not careful." He advised, smirking.

"I'm not sure I'd mind if it was sir." She smirked right back.

"Give it a few years." He joked. "I have to go. Take care of each other."

Rick said his good byes, and sagged into the chair after the call ended, feeling like a weight he hadn't even noticed had been lifted. Lisa felt the tension leave him and decided to take a seat herself. Rick felt a small weight on his lap and opened his eyes to see that Lisa had moved herself around the chair and was now sitting side saddle on his lap, her green eyes locking onto his. He put his hands on her slim waist as her arms once more wrapped themselves around his neck. Her green eyes were alight as a playful grin tugged at her lips. Rick was taken aback as they hadn't exactly been this forward. Usually it was her cuddled into his side while they went over paper work, or caught a movie at her quarters. He wasn't complaining though, that was for sure.

"I like your dad. He seems honest." She stated diplomatically, one hand running through his unruly hair. Rick smirked in amusement to her statement.

"Nope. He just lacks a filter between his brain and his mouth." He stated.

"Hmm...that reminds me of a young smart mouth I met once. Oh what was his name?" She put on a mock thoughtful look before she gave a teasing smirk. "Oh yes. Goes by the name of Hunter. Perhaps you know him?"

"I wasn't that bad." Rick retorted defensively, gesturing to the vidcom with his chin.

Lisa cocked an elegant eyebrow, her expression amused at his seeming case of forgetfulness as she leaned in until her forehead was touching his.

"Two words. Old. Sourpuss."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The brief went about as smooth as could be expected. Oh the council had raised all the right noises about some mystical energy source on the ship. One had even had the balls to demand the SDF-1 take off immediately and not return to Earth until they deemed it safe. He had quickly whiled under the harsh look sent at him from one Lisa Hayes. Donald watched his daughter with pride as she practically grabbed the ignorant senator by his metaphorical nose, and proceeded to rub it into the reports and video recorded from the alien ship. The video. He now knew just who the man was that apparently had started a relationship with his daughter. While he wasn't happy someone had the nerve to date his daughter, his ire was eased by three facts. One, the kid was from a distinguished military family. As much as he wanted to knock out ol' Mitch on occasion back in the day, the man was a bona fide hero, as was Mitchell Hunter's old man, Earl 'Maddog' Mitchell, a man who had earned several commendations for valor during WWII. Two, he himself was a decorated pilot, having earned several commendations of his own for his bravery, keeping the apparent Hunter Family tradition of flying in a manner that could be considered certifiably insane. Going hand to hand with a thirty foot alien? Yeah, insane to anyone but a Hunter or someone else just crazy enough to try. And third, he owed this young man a debt for saving the life of his only child not once, but twice. Both times at great risk to himself. Donald found himself at an impasse though as a part of him wanted nothing more than to torture the kid for his sheer guts in getting involved with his little girl, yet the other wanted to hug the kid till he turned blue. He'd decide _after_ he talked to them both. He sighed once more in weariness as the board seemed to begin squabbling amongst themselves and decided it was time to move this along, least the bureaucrats drag this matter out past what was prudent. The famous Hayes temper flared into his tone as he spoke.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I believe was can all agree that whether the SDF-1 has this 'Protoculture Matrix' on board or not is a moot point." His eyes specifically locked onto the senator that had been raising a fit earlier before they flickered over the rest of the assembled officers. "The fact is, we have leverage over these Zentradi. We can use this belief on their part to stall long enough to complete several of our more powerful defenses to combat any further aggression on their part. Theodore Roosevelt once said 'speak softly and carry a large stick.' Well, we need to make sure we have our stick ready to deter any form of hostile attack. May I suggest we conclude this briefing and go over all the data collected by our people?"

His suggestion was met with some hesitant agreement. Donald took one look at his daughter and she nodded in understanding. He watched her turn to the young man and whisper something. He found himself amused at how fast the kid's eyes darted to him. The fear that flashed across his face followed by a hard swallow as Donald gave him a flat look. Okay, he had to admit, it was funny watching the man's face go pale and sweat form on his brow. Donald merely gave a short nod and left the room, smirking only after he left the room. Rick watched the man go and felt like someone had replaced his blood with ice, which was ironic as he was starting to sweat. He'd never actually met any father of the girls he had dated, having heard many times from Pop what his maternal grandfather had done to get the point across not to hurt his daughter. Just remembering that conversation sent a cold feeling down his spin. He felt a hand clasp his shoulder and glanced to see Captain Gloval giving him a cheerful look.

"I see Admiral Hayes wants a word or two with you." The knowing look on his face mixed with mirth only made Rick want to scowl at the man. "Do not worry. I do not believe he keeps any loaded firearms in his office."

"Captain. Please stop tormenting Rick." Lisa faked a look of disapproval before it evaporated, being replaced by a playful smirk. "That's my father's job."

He felt no reservations sending a scowl at an innocently smiling Lisa.

"Way to ease my nerves Lisa." He grumbled as she led him from the room, laughing. He chanced one look back at Henry who gave a salute as if Rick was off on a suicide mission. To be honest, he felt like he'd rather take a mission like that instead of meeting with a man who would probably try to kill him. If Rick was Lisa's father, he'd sooner shoot whatever poor fool dared to date his daughter. His sulked down the hall, Lisa had his side, taking too much enjoyment out of this. If she was honest, she would admit that her father was not the tough guy he acted like. She could remember clearly times when he let go of that gruff exterior and showed the human being he was. Times when she was younger and hurt by some names she was called or when she had gum stuck into her hair by a rather mean spirited boy in the second grade. She highly doubted he would truly disapprove of Rick. After all, he fit the criteria he had wanted for any man she got involved with. A short five minute walk ended with her knocking firmly on the Admiral's door.

"Enter."

She heard the gruff voice and watched as Rick seemed to flinch from it, almost as if he were on the other end of a firing squad that was just ordered to fire. She rolled her eyes and opened the door, pushing a hesitant Rick Hunter in before she crossed the threshold, shutting the door with a soft click. She looked around the office, noticing the floor to sealing bookcases lining one side, laden to bursting point with numerous books, some she could see where clearly well worn. One of her father's guilty pleasures was being able to sit back with a good novel and read into the early morning hours. His desk had several framed photos she had no doubt were of her with her parents. Family photos taken before her mother passed away from rare health condition that had caused weakened blood vessels in her brain. They had been thankful that the condition wasn't present in Lisa. The man behind the desk had a calculating look as he clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his desk.

"Commander Hayes. Lieutenant Commander Hunter. Please. Take a seat." His tone made it clear it wasn't a request.

Rick gulped, chancing a look to Lisa before he took a seat in front of the Admiral's desk with Lisa setting herself down in the one next to his, a calm look on her face. Donald glanced at Lisa before he leveled his eyes upon the young officer before him. He narrowed his own hazel green eyes as he studied the man. Rick fought the urge to fidget, the expression n the Admiral's face making him uncomfortable. Lisa merely cocked an eyebrow at her father, waiting for him to speak. She knew he was enjoying putting Rick under the microscope so to speak, but did he really need to be so dramatic?

"First off, Commander Hunter, I want to extend my personal gratitude for you saving my daughter's life not once, but twice by your own direct action. I owe you more than I can even begin to describe. As a father, I'm eternally in your debt." He began, deciding to give this kid a break for now. "I have heard the reports from Captain Gloval and I find myself in agreement with his decisions regarding how you have been rewarded. I also understand you spoke to your father yesterday, and I imagine he brought up our...history. With that being said, I already know that any son of Mitchell Hunter will always go above and beyond and not think twice about it nor thinking of any kind of reward, only doing what is right."

"I try to sir. I've been told the RDF doesn't want mindless machines, but thinking people to make the right calls." Rick felt some of his confidence return, but still felt like a kid in the principle's office. Donald gave an approving nod, his calculating look not leaving his face.

"Well spoken. Now, am I to understand you have become involved with my daughter?" He questioned.

Rick had to resist the impulse to ask the man to define involved as that would probably end very badly for him. He mentally blamed Roy for his occasional jokster personality quirks.

"Uh, yes sir. I have." He answered awkwardly. Couldn't the man just ask if they were dating instead of using a rather fancy way of asking.

"Hmm...and what are your intentions towards my daughter? Is this just a fling for you?"

"Father!" The outraged tone in Lisa's voice only got a raised hand from Donald. Rick himself felt his irritation flare ay such a blatant insult to his character. His own blue orbs narrowed and his whole demeanor changed, taking on a much more confrontational posture, his tone relaying his irritation at the Admiral's question.

"This isn't a 'fling' as you asked, sir." The word fling was laced with his agitation. "Lisa is the most important person in my life. I gladly risked my life for her's not once, but twice Admiral and I always will. I've done everything I can so that one day, I can say I'm worthy of her affection."

Donald gave him a curious look.

"You say you don't think you deserve my daughter?" He asked, his thoughts on this kid, no this man, cooling and becoming more accepting. Lisa was looking at Rick with surprise, that quickly melted away as how flattering and sweet his words were crossed her mind. She had no idea he felt that way which explained his hesitation to further their relationship beyond the very basics.

"No man deserves such a beautiful and intelligent woman sir." Rick stated, meaning every word he spoke with a tone to match. "If I did, it would only be proof I'm delusional. I've honored she felt me worth her time and her heart. I plan to work hard to show I can be at least acceptable for her."

Donald leaned back in his chair, his eyes still locked on the young man, but none of the earlier heat in his eyes.

"Well, then you and I see eye to eye on that regards as I've always felt no one was worthy of her, but then again, she's my daughter. I'm supposed to think like that." He mused thoughtfully. "You didn't fully answer my question. What are your intentions? Is this for the long haul?"

Rick tried to keep his annoyance in check, reminding himself that this man had more power at his finger tips than anyone Rick knew and could very well make his life miserable if he so desired.

"Yes sir. I hope that this is permanent, but I won't rush her." He turned his eyes to Lisa, who was failing to keep her blush off her face from his words earlier. "She's become a big part of my life and I honestly can't imagine it with out her."

The Admiral looked between the two, seeing a bond stronger than he and his own wife had in the beginning. He wondered just where the time had gone as the loving gaze the two shared spoke more words to the man than any answer Rick had to any questions he could ask. Admiral Hayes sighed, and rubbed his eyes, breaking the two from their own little world and spoke in a tone he used to deal with the politicians.

"As long as you keep that thought alive that you are not worthy of my daughter, you and I will get along just fine." He began, holding up a hand before Lisa even opened her mouth to speak, knowing very well she was both annoyed and upset at Donald's words, but Rick seemed to understanding the spirit behind them. "As much as I don't want to admit this, and believe me, once you have a daughter of your own, you'll understand; you have proven you have the core virtues that any father hopes for his daughter's partner. You've shown you can and will put her safety above your own. You've proven yourself loyal to her during everything you've gone through. And you seem to understand just how much I can make your life a living Hell if you piss me off."

Rick kept himself calm, truly understanding why the Admiral seemed to be rather...cold towards him. He had expected the man to point a loaded gun at him or something.

"Understand this Hunter, and commit what I'm about to say to memory. If you ever break my little girls heart, I don't give a rat's ass what corner of the universe you are in, I will hunt you down. I will break both of your legs. And I will make you regret every bad choice you have ever made." He growled out, his eyes flashing dangerously. "There is a lot of open ground on this base, and believe me when I say I have an E-Tool and an alibi if it's needed. We clear son?"

"Crystal sir. And if I ever do hurt her, you'll be the first person I come see." Rick swore.

Donald gave him another hard look before nodding his approval. The Admiral rose to his feet and extended his hand. Rick jumped up so quick, you'd have thought some one jabbed a cattle prod into him, all the while Lisa just glared at her father, feeling the righteous fury only a daughter could. She watched as the two most important men in her life clasped hands, almost as if shaking on a truce. And in reality it was.

"Thank you again, Rick Hunter, for keeping my little girl safe."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay kiddies, school time! Earlier in this chapter, I brought up how the atmosphere is actually shaped. Now keep in mind my primary MOS while in the Marine Corps was a Forcaster so I had to learn about how it works. Picture you have a squishy ball. Perfectly round right? Picture the ball as the atmosphere. Now, if you apply pressure to two different side, it causes the middle to end up wider. What this displays is how our atmosphere actually works. Due to the Earth's (Or any celestial body with an atmosphere) the area near the poles is thinner and actually rotates quicker than the rest of the atmosphere. Also what plays a factor is that the cold air is more dense that the warm tropical air near the equator which unlike cold dense air, warm air rises, which helps create this effect. It also moves slower as it has greater area to cover than near the poles. Hence why a reentry headed towards the poles wouldn't be as hot as if the SDF-1 entered over an ocean location. Another thing that bugged me in the show, which may have been a simple oversight, is the two carriers. Impressive ships for sure. But to reenter the atmosphere? I don't buy it. And you can't say, "Well the barrier...". That's all good and fine, but unless I'm remembering in correctly, they didn't gain a full barrier until after they had landed on earth the first time. So how did the carriers survive the extreme stress of reentry? I tried to make my solution at least feasible and did some research on the heat of entry and some information on the mostly likely hull make up of the carriers. I'm not a metallurgist so please keep that in mind. Also, anyone wondering just what an E-Tool is, it's a type of shovel we get issued here in the US Military to dig fighting positions...or to, you know, smack some idiot in the face as a last resort. I'll start putting military to civilian translations for any Military phrases for you guys from now on. I hope this chapter plugged a few plot holes in the cannon story, it's the minor details they over look, and don't fret, next chapter will have some more action. And, well, I'm actually having to rework the whole chapter as middle school me clearly had no damned idea what to do with a woman. Hard to believe I was ever so clueless. Least now, I have some kind of idea at 27! Anywho, drop a review of Roy gets it!**


	10. Chapter 10 Step in the Right Direction

**A/N: Sorry for the delay with this chapter guys. I had most of this written the day after my last update but uh...well I decided to play some Bioshock, which lead to playing all three...then the Fables...and uh, well I went on a Firefly binge. Sorry guys. Anyway, fluffy action chapter here. My changes have started so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 10

"Rick, are you okay?"

Rick blinked in surprise before he turned his attention back to Lisa, seeing her look of concern on his face. He sent her a small reassuring smile as they resumed walking back to the transport that was set to return the pair to the SDF-1. The debrief had taken almost three days, and it hadn't been exclusive to just Vermilion, Lisa, and the Captain. Every squadron leader, department head, the bridge crew, hell damn near everyone who had ever had any encounter with the Zentradi had been spoken to by either the Council or their investigators. Rick had been surprised to hear from Roy after the first day of the debriefing that intelligence teams had been combing the ship, trying to get every scrap of information they could. Not to mention every single clip of gun camera footage from every fighter they had, even the ones that had been scrapped from battle damage after they had been recovered. It was with a sharp flash of sorrow that Rick was reminded that it was only a tenth of the fighters and pilots that could ever be recovered from their skirmishes with the Zentradi. Rick hardly noticed the icy blast of wind that seemed to tear at his cold weather gear as his mind was still trying to deal with the finality of the Council's response after the latest conversation. Beside him, Lisa pulled her coat tighter, trying to close any opening the cold could use to attack her. She was silently cursing Alaska and wished the RDF had chosen a warmer location for their main base of operations, yet she also understood why they had.

The reason this area had been chosen was two fold. One, it was out of the way of any civilian towns. The nearest was over two hundred miles away. So if any accident were to happen on base, no civilian lives would be lost. And considering the largest reflex furnace ever constructed by human hands was buried deep into the ground, almost four miles down, any meltdown would create a crater almost fifteen miles wide and two deep. At least that's what she understood from her father. The second reason was due to the RDF's only super weapon in it's arsenal at present. The massive weapon was uncreatively named the Grand Cannon. She supposed that perhaps the lead designer had been from Nevada and tried to be clever with the name but fell short in Lisa's opinion. There was really nothing grand about the massive reflex weapon. It's whole design screamed weapon of mass destruction to her and it's only saving grace in her eyes was that it's fire arc was limited to engage space based targets only. She shuddered at the thought of what it could do to a planet. Her father had taken her on a short tour when they had started construction almost ten years ago and she would admit the sheer size of it had awed her. The frightening part to her was that what she had thought was a simple transport shaft was actually the main barrel where the powerful energy coalesced into a massive beam of pure raw energy that would destroy anything in it's path. And because of the sheer heat build up from such a massive weapon, they needed to build it in an area that would augment the liquid nitrogen cooling system installed. Even the most advanced systems would be unable to keep it from overheating by themselves so they had looked to Mother Nature herself for help. At least it wasn't built into a glacier. That would be a danger all to itself.

But just knowing this weapon existed did nothing to sooth her worries about the Zentradi. The Intelligence Department had gotten an estimate on the amount of ships in her brief recordings from the docking area and the figure had many in the RDF brass feeling unease. At over four million ships, Lisa wanted to faint. Rick had been right when he said they had no way to combat that much firepower conventionally. Which meant they'd need to find some way to put them on an even footing should that massive fleet arrive in full force. The Intel boys seemed uncertain if the massive structure, an Anchorage they were calling it, was mobile or not. If it was, they guessed that it had enough weapons of it's own to rival the firepower of Earth's Space Navy a thousand times over. She sighed and hoped her father was right about his cannon if it came down to a fight, despite the feeling of dread she had every time she thought of it.

The two entered the transport that would fly the few minutes required to the SDF-1 as Command had ordered that no civilian or military personnel would be allowed to leave the ship until the full investigation was complete. They had no desire to allow any information to slip by and for the enemy to some how know what was going on. The Brass were taking no chances no matter how remote the possibility was. In principal, Lisa agreed with this thought as whether they liked it or not, a state of war was in place between the people of Earth and the Zentradi as the aliens had attacked a civilian population center. She had bristled when Commander Edwards had pointed his finger at them, saying if the SDF-1 hadn't of fired, they could have dealt with the aliens on a more peaceful footing. The part that had irritated Lisa was admitting to herself that Edwards had a point. They had no way to know if the Zentradi would have been as hostile towards them if the ship's automated defense program hadn't taken over and fired the main guns. For all they knew, it was their fault this whole thing had happened. Maybe they should have simply torn the ship down to it's frame as many had wanted to do and rebuilt it completely by human hands. Instead, they'd repaired most of the damage with Earth know how, altering the interior for their use instead of the thirty foot tall warriors who had used it prior, fusing human and alien technology in the hybrid know called the SDF-1.

Lisa looked to Rick and saw his gaze was directed out of the window, deep in thought. He'd been mostly silent for today's brief and it was starting to worry her. She nudged his leg across from her with her foot and that seemed to snap Rick out of his thoughts. He sent her a questioning look.

"You've been pretty quiet to day Rick. What's wrong?" She asked gently.

Rick sighed and closed his eyes as he spoke. Seeing him sitting there, arms crossed, and his face set in seriousness was actually a rather attractive sight to her. Rick was a very handsome man in her eyes and she loved how carefree he tended to be when they were off duty. But when he had moments like this, when a power seemed to radiate from him, she felt herself get weak in the knees. A serious Rick was a sexy one to her.

"It's just with how this is going, the arrogance of the council is going to lead us to the same conclusion as the dinosaurs." He opened his eyes and Lisa had to fight the urge to grip her arm rest from how the world seemed to spin. His eyes, normally a bright blue, had turned a steel blue, the two orbs having an edge to them. "They want to bring the Zentradi to heel like some dog that's been bad. They even have a big rolled up newspaper ready to smack across the nose. It's not going to work because their doing exactly what we were doing in the beginning. They're attempting to treat the Zentradi as humans."

Lisa nodded her head in agreement as they waited the transport to fill with another group of technicians bound for the SDF for repair duty.

"You're right. The Zentradi don't feel fear as a whole. They don't understand empathy, or mercy. They only understand battle." Lisa commented.

"If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril." Rick quoted.

"Sun Tzu. Didn't expect that from you Rick." She teased, making Rick flash a small smile. "But you're right. The confidence they've placed in their weapon is misplaced. I only hope they try diplomacy with them."

"But will that even work?" Rick mused as a deep rumble filled the bay, a sign the engines were igniting. "Even if we give them the SDF-1, whose to say they won't simply glass the planet?"

"All we can do is hope Rick." Lisa reached over and grasped his hand gently. "Hope that things will work out."

"I hope they do Lisa, but I have a bad feeling that we won't come out of this with out blood shed."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"To our return."

Roy held his class in the air, as a triumphant smile crossed his face. The three other occupants of the room also raised their glasses in salute to Roy's statement. The blonde ace let his gaze sweep over them. His brother who had gone from pacifist to a skilled warrior, defending his own. Roy truly was proud of the man he had become. And indeed, Rick had matured and grown by leaps over this past year. Next to him, nestled into his side with his free arm draped over her shoulders was one Lisa Hayes, a woman who in Roy's opinion was well on her way to becoming his sister-in-law. And finally, his gaze landed upon the woman who had made his life worth living, had given it meaning beyond the thrill of flying. Claudia gave him a dazzling smile as she touched her glass against his, and they each took a sip of the fine vintage Roy had procured. He nodded in appreciation of the beverage before he looked to Rick.

"So. What plans do you have now that we're back Rick?"

The young man looked thoughtful before he looked to the young woman at his side.

"Figure just keep going down the path I have been Roy." He told him. "With everything that has been happening recently, the RDF needs as many experienced pilots as it can get. I also have to keep Lisa out of trouble."

Said woman swatted him playfully as she gave a mock glare at him.

"I think it's the other way around there dear." She corrected, her tone light but her eyes twinkled with amusement. "You'll make me gray before my time with your stunts."

The three laughed as Rick tried to look outraged but eventually cracked a smile to let them know he wasn't offended. The young man's blue eyes caught sight of a glint of silver and his smile widened as he cocked an eyebrow at the woman.

"Interesting ring placement Claudia. Pretty sure that wasn't there this morning." He noted.

Lisa's own eyebrows shot up in surprise as she too looked at Claudia's hand. Her gaze locked onto the simple, yet classy ring now adorning her left ring finger and her jaw dropped. The woman was silent for only a split second before she moved. Roy blinked in surprise at the speed in which Lisa had set her glass down, though Rick had to quickly grab it before it fell over and spilled the remaining drink inside, and had pulled Claudia into a tight embrace.

"Oh Claudia! I'm so happy for you!" She squealed in delight. "Why didn't you say anything sooner? When did it happen?" She practically demanded answers as she loosened her hug on the woman. Claudia laughed lightly before she answered the rapid fire questions.

"The big lug proposed this afternoon." She began. "After much deliberation, not to mention just how charming he was when he asked, I decided to settle for him."

"Settle huh?" Roy remarked, smirking. "You make it sound like I'm not a first place prize."

Claudia shook her head at Roy's statement before she looked back to Lisa, a hopeful look on her face.

"I hope you'll be my maid of honor Lisa."

The woman beamed as she nodded her head.

"I'd be honored Claudia." She enthusiastically agreed. "Have you guys made any plans or ideas when it'll be?"

"She tells me we decided on January." Roy responded before he glanced at Rick. "Should give you enough time to get Rick here presentable. He'll be standing beside me as my Best Man, so he needs to look good. Doubt he'll look as good as me though." Roy gave a mock thoughtful look, before he was forced to dodge a cracker Rick lobbed his way.

"Thanks a bunch for your oh so kind words about me big brother." Rick replied in humor. "I'm just surprised it took you this long to ask her." He commented, taking a sip from his glass.

Roy gave him a bemused look.

"Well gee, thanks Rick. When are you and Lisa getting married then?"

Rick covered his mouth quickly, almost spraying the wine across the glass coffee table that sat in Lisa's room. He coughed a few times before he looked over to an amused Lisa and an equally amused Claudia. Rick felt his face heat up and decided to just drink his glass and to ignore the humorous looks sent his way.

"I think he's trying to drown himself in wine." Claudia quipped.

"He'll pass out long before he drowns." Roy remarked, smirking at him.

Lisa placed her hands on her hips and gave him an expectant look, mostly in good fun but was curious as to how he would answer. She already knew he was hoping it would come to that, and she honestly would say she herself was hopeful but felt it was too soon to begin any kind of planning on that regards. They still hadn't stayed together for a night, and Lisa was feeling it was time to move to that step. Marriage though, she felt, was a ways off at present. Rick, like any other man placed in a similar situation, decided surrender was in order so as to avoid placing one's foot into one's mouth.

"That's not fair!" He whined, getting chuckles from everyone. "Any answer I give can be held against me! I'll just say when it's time."

Lisa felt pity for him and slid back into his side, planting a kiss on his cheek for at least given what could be deemed, the appropriate answer. Roy smirked and raised his glass in a mock salute.

"Good save buddy." He mocked. "Just remember, not all questions will have an answer that'll keep you out of trouble."

"He at least thinks before he speaks." Claudia noted, refilling her own glass. "Unlike some loud mouth I know. Besides, Rick is much more charming so he can usually get away with being a man when he speaks." She joked.

Roy gave a pout as Lisa giggled at that statement, her full agreement for what Claudia said. Sure, it was a bumbling sort of charming, but Rick was just too adorable for her to stay mad at for very long. Even in the first few months on board, she never really could stay mad at him as he tried very hard to do his best. She supposed that if she was honest with herself, she'd admit she had a small crush on him after he had rescued her from Mars. She still felt disgusted with herself in how she had acted. It had been truly selfish and utterly foolish, almost costing her life in the desire to see Karl again. A ripple of surprise passed through her as she realized she hadn't thought of her first love in long time. Her heart only thought of Rick and she gave him a sweet smile as he handed her back her glass. In her heart, she realized that when Rick asked her, she'd say yes. There was not a doubt in her mind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron stalked through the halls of his flagship, his rage bubbling to near eruption proportions. That bitch Azonia had made it apparent she was prepared to simply sit and do nothing to reclaim the prize they sought. When he had championed his plan to capture the fortress while it sat on the planet with the filthy micronians did with it as they pleased, she had smugly dismissed his plan and told him that under no condition was he to send his men into combat against the planet, stating the beings populating this world were not to be harmed as Breetai had no interest in needless slaughter. While an impressive and adaptive species, Breetai had no quarrel with them as his only goal was the capture of Zor's fortress. Azonia had even stated that Exedore was recommending they attempt to _peacefully_ speak with the Micronians in an attempt to explain that the Zentradi only wished to take the vessel, not wage a war against them. The mere thought that the worm even entertained the idea that these insects were worthy enough to be considered equal to the mighty Zentradi boiled his blood. No, they were pests, an infestation that needed to be wiped off the face of the galaxy. To grind them into the dirt with the heel of his boot.

He stomped onto his bridge, still seething in anger. Did those fools not understand this was pointless? The Micronians fired the first shot, vaporizing two lightly armed scout ships in a spectacular display. Their actions at the planet they called Mars, that infuriating defeat he suffered at the hands of those people. His very being would not allow that slight against him go unpunished. Azonia and her damned interferrence had cost him his prize not long ago. Had she just stayed away, they would have captured the ship already and returning to their home system. Khyron would admit that part of his drive was revenge. Not on the men killed by those filthy creatures, but to settle the score. He would have his prize, and Azonia be damned. His loyal officer, Grel, stood ready, awaiting the news he brought from the bitch's ship.

"We have been ordered to maintain our position." Khyron told him, venom seeping into his words.

"But...we can take it now! Our scans indicate minimal power reading from it! This would be the perfect time to strike!" Grel ground out, his hand gesturing to the display showing the fortress sitting some distance from a micronian base. "Is she blind to not see the prime opportunity we have?"

"She does not. She is blinded by her own adherence to orders." Khyron seethed. "Damned that whore! We shall end this once and for all. I tire of this game she and Breetai are playing."

"So you have a plan sir?"

The dark grin that filled Khyron's face would have made any sane being flee before it.

"Yes. I do. And if I am lucky enough, I may finally defeat the Red Demon."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy and Claudia said their good byes to the two, and headed off to Roy's place for the night, leaving Rick and Lisa to themselves. Lisa currently felt like a puddle of goo as Rick rubbed her feet, leaning her body against the back of the sofa as he diligently went to work.

"That feels wonderful." She smiled lovingly at him. "I might have to keep you around for your foot rubs."

"It's a talent." He stated smugly, grinning.

Lisa sighed happily as she closed her eyes, enjoying Rick's ministrations. His hands were wonderfully skilled, the warm calloused skin of his palms did nothing to detract from the bliss she felt. She honestly felt like she had been blessed in finding this man, despite the fact they hadn't exactly started off on the right foot at first. She let out a giggle that tugged at Rick's heart, his grin widening.

"What's so funny Miss Hayes?" He questioned with curiousity.

She cracked open one eye, smirking at him.

"Oh, just that this time you started on the right foot unlike the first time we met."

He looked at her confused before he realized she had just tried to make a joke. A lame one yes, but still it had been an admirable attempt. He raised an eyes brow, his grin becoming more mischievous as Lisa opened both eyes, now narrowed as she had an idea just what he was contemplating.

"Don't you even think about it Rick Hun-" She was cut off as he began to attack her soles with his finger, tickling her sensitive feet. She squealed and tried to squirm away or at the very least, pull her feet out of Rick's sure grip. She was laughing, begging him to stop, managing to pull on foot loose and push it against his arm, trying with all her might to pull her poor foot away. Rick, seeing a prime target, let go over her feet and began his attack on her ribs, making the woman laugh even harder as she tried to get away. But he would not stop until she conceded defeat! Lisa's arm shot forward, grabbing the front of his shirt, surprising him as she pulled him into a kiss. His hands quickly abandoned their assault, moving to support his upper body as he propped himself over Lisa, kissing her back. He felt her suck on his bottom lip, eliciting a groan from the man. He parted his lips enough to allow her access and felt her tongue cress his. His mind went blank of everything except the feeling and taste of Lisa. The pair broke apart, Lisa panting as she looked into his darkened eyes. Giving an impish smile, she trailed her hands over his sides, resting them on his hips. Rick's face was devoid of any other emotion besides desire as he looked down on her, taking in her flushed cheeks, slightly swollen lips, and the way her body moved beneath him as she tried to get her breathing under control.

"Mmm...that was fun." She purred. The athletic woman surprised Rick once more, pushing him backwards until she was on top of him, straddling him the best she could. Her eyes were dark green pools as she leaned down, rocking her hips just enough to get the response she wanted from him. Her hands gripped the front of his black short sleeved shirt, helping her maintain the few inches from Rick's face as she watched him close his eyes and moaned in response, his hands going to her waist as he bucked lightly in response. She kissed him briefly before looking into his smoldering blue eyes, cocking her head to the side, a coy smile replacing her impish one from early. "Enjoying yourself?"

Rick growled before his hand pulled her down enough for him to attack the delicate and delectable section of her elegant neck where it meet her collar bone. She gasped as she felt him nip and suck on the sensitive area, her eyes closed tightly and unintentionally rocked her hips again. The second time sent a jolt of electricity through Rick, intensifying his desire for the woman that was desperately trying to keep her moans from escaping. She pushed herself away, and looked into his lust filled eyes before she darted a look at the clock. She chewed her bottom lip as she internally debated her choices. After what seemed like hours, she looked back to Rick, whose hands had returned to her hips, his breathing coming at a much more even pace, though she could definitely feel his arousal. Her eyes questioning and hopeful as she spoke.

"Stay with me tonight?"

His answer, while not verbal, ensured she got his confirmation.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"My lord, we have searched the entire vessel. There is no sign of the Micronians."

Breetai scowled as his long time friend Exedore reported the results to the long and exhaustive search they had been conducting since their prisoners had escaped. Once more, he saluted the ingenuity of these people and again felt himself become more impressed with them. Over the course of the last year, he had been finding them to be a most impressive people. Despite the obvious fact that they were novices in space warfare, they had risen to the challenge and had proven time and time again that they were not to be underestimated. Perhaps he should recommend to the Masters that they attempt and alliance of some sort with these people in their on going war with the Invid. The Invid. Just the thought of those creatures boiled his blood. It had been many years since he'd last done battle with them and their thralls. A worthy foe, but one that disgusted rather than impressed Breetai. Not like his current prey. No, these Micronians were indeed impressive in how quickly they had learned how to fight properly in the vacuum of space. While the armament of their own developed space vessels was sorely lacking in anti capital ship weapons, their point defense systems were frighteningly accurate, something that could be useful against the Invid fighters that favored swarming a target. He'd love to see how they'd fair against those anti mecha weapons these Micronians used. It would definitely be amusing to watch those blasted creatures destroyed by the hundreds. His shook his head, getting his thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"They may have boarded Azonia's vessel before she departed. We were transferring supplies." Breetai noted, his eyes closed in thought. Exedore blinked in surprise. He hadn't considered that possibility, though now it was clearly obvious there was a very high chance they had.

"Perhaps we should return to the micronian system and speak with her. It would allow us not to show our hand should they be aboard."

Breetai stroked his chin thoughtfully before nodding.

"A wise suggestion my friend. We shall depart as soon as we are able. I can only hope Khyron has not foolishly jeopardized out mission."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy looked in surprise as he bumped into two of the three members of vermilion, both were looking around for their missing third.

"Where is your leader? You guys usually show up together." Roy asked, falling into step beside them. They were headed to the main briefing room, one that if they had a full strength air wing, would only be used to brief squadron commanders. Sadly, the first few battles with the Zentradi had dropped the number of active pilots down to the point they all were crammed into a single room with the actual individual squadron brief rooms vacant and dark. Well, at least not for much longer as he had been told by the Captain this morning, after finding out he and Claudia had both been promoted to full Commander, that they would be receiving enough pilots and veritechs to bring their ailing Air Wing to full strength.

Max just shrugged his shoulders as Ben scratched the back of his head.

"We don't know. He wasn't out front this morning." Max answered.

"Maybe he woke up early for a run?" Ben offered.

"Nah. Skipper doesn't PT till after a patrol. Says it helps build his endurance when he's tired."

Roy frowned as he wondered just where his little brother was as they entered the room and his eyes spotted a familiar figure sitting in his usual spot, fully awake and waving at them with a grin.

"Hey guys. Good morning."

Max merely raised an eyebrow as Ben gave an enthusiastic greeting to the man, both taking their seats beside him and the three began talking amongst themselves. Roy kept his face form showing his thoughts, as he was trying to figure out why his brother seemed so...happy? Relaxed? The only thing Roy could think of the induce that kind of shit eating grin was...he turned away, a sly grin crossing his face as he mentally applauded his brother.

"You lucky dog." He chuckled.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa wore a wide smile on her face as she entered the bridge, passing the newly promoted full Lieutenants that diligently gossiped away, giving her a cheerful greeting as she made her way to her console. Claudia was already at her post, humming to herself as she began her morning routine with a standard diagnostic of the helm and communications systems. The woman didn't look at her as she worked, keeping her eyes on the readings in case anything came back odd.

"Good morning Lisa." Claudia greeted. "Fun night with Rick?"

The bridge bunnies paused, darting a glance at the older woman and very interested in the conversation. It had been a surprise to them to find out that Lisa was dating none other than Rick Hunter, which had depressed Sammie as she found him to very handsome, but her moping had lasted all off an hour as she and the others were happy that Lisa had found someone that brought out the woman instead of the cold, standoffish officer they knew. Lisa couldn't keep the blush off her face, nor the pure blissful smile that appeared as she remember the passionate night she and Rick had shared. It had been a long time for her, which explained her soreness this morning as almost five years with out seems to reverse certain muscles to a more...constricted state, even though she did deal with those urges like most other women. Though she was happy she never used anything thicker than her now retired stress reliever.

"Mmhmm."

Claudia looked over in confusion as Lisa hadn't actually spoken any words, just mumbled out an agreement. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she took in the glow about her friend, the blush, and most definitely the blissful expression. Her surprise turned to happiness as she grinned knowingly.

"Well now. Must have been some night." She winked when Lisa looked over to her.

The woman just shook her head, amused and went back to her own diagnostics until a dull thud was heard.

"Chert lyuk!"

Lisa glanced back as the Captain grumbled, rubbing his forehead having once more smack his head against the frame. Unlike this morning, he appeared tired with his face drawn and bags having started to form under his eyes. He dropped into his command chair and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. He opened his mouth to speak before a shrill alarm blared to life. Sammie tapped her keys, pulling up her radar display.

"Captain, an unidentified craft is rapidly approaching us! If it maintains current course, it'll touch down twenty kilometers from us!"

"Estimate on the tonnage?"

"Ummm...looks to be cruiser tonnage sir!"

"Claudia, get me a line to command!" Henry ordered. "Lisa, I want fighters in the air now to intercept! All defensive systems online!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Deep inside the Earth Defense Command Center, the control room was a hive of activity as crew rushed to their stations. The senior sensor operator reported the status on the descending contact.

"Confirmed hostile contact! Touch down estimated at K32-R56b!"

The Commander hesitated as his mind raced through his option.

"Special order 73. Launch missiles immediately!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Captain, command has launched defense missiles. Fifteen seconds to impact!"

Henry nodded, calmly as his mind raced. They knew conventional warheads wouldn't even scratch the armor on that ship, so what were they playing? Henry really didn't intend to find out as Lisa reported their squadrons had visual contact on the cruiser that was adjusting it's heading towards the SDF-1. A feeling of dread sprang up inside him as he silently cursed the delay on manpower for the air wing. As it was, they had a total of forty-eight battle worthy veritechs, a mere fraction of the four hundred she could handle at peak operations. Henry listened as the fighters confirmed his thoughts that the missiles would do little more than become a very expensive fireworks show.

"Order fighters to engage the enemy vessel."

Lisa turned and activated her com channel to the fighters.

"All fighters, weapons free. Engage enemy vessel immediately. "

The com came alive with replies as the twenty or so fighters opened up with gun pods and missiles, raining hell upon the ship. Damage was being done as burn marks and missile explosions doted the bow of the warship. A startled report of enemy mecha proceeded a death scream as Sammie reported that the enemy ship had launched fighters and battle pods. The chaos was oppressing as Headquarters began lending its own fighters into the battle, the defensive batteries spinning up as they prepared SAMs and AAA to swat the annoying bugs from their sky. Gloval frowned as Sammie reported a mix of enemy fighting vehicles had broken through their defensive line and were headed right towards Henry's front door and that was unacceptable.

"Get Vermilion on deck to repel the enemy boarders." He paused before a vicious grin crossed his face. "Claudia, let's give out old friends a warm welcome. All defensive batteries, fire!"

Outside, CIWS turret spun about and began spewing hundreds of rounds with deadly accuracy at the leading edge of enemy fighters while the pepper boxes opened and plumes of smoke and fire leapt forth, knifing through the air and slamming into unlucky enemy fighters, giving them some breathing room as veritechs screamed past in pursuit of several heavy enemy fighters that began targeting the anti mecha batteries.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick gripped his controls as the main elevator lifted his squad to the flight deck and watched one unfortunate veritech get clipped by an enemy fighter. The wounded bird spirled down and slammed into the hull, exploding in a shower of debris. Rick gave a silent prayer as the pilot of that veritech hadn't been able to punch out. Around him, he could see the battle raging to a fever pitch as the defenders were being overwhelmed from the sheer numbers the Zentradi had brought. Even with the extra CIWS muscle from Headquarters, the enemy were slowly picking them off, opening up areas to pour through to attack the rest of the defensive batteries. The elevator jarred to a halt and Rick feed power into his engines, trying to get enough speed to get airbourne and deal with the fighters that were pushing through several points in their defensive line.

"Alright. Bingo, Hound, on me! We're going hunting!" Rick ordered, bringing his nose up and banked hard to the nearest defense block. The three fighters screamed past the tower and opened up with their guns, knocking fighters out of the sky in a timely manner. "There's are objective boys, engaging!"

"Hound, Engaging!"

"Bingo, Engaging!"

The three fighters rolled and dived down into the furball below them, death spewing from the 55mm gun pod attached to their bellies and searing hot lasers slammed into an enemy fighter unlucky enough to get in their way. Six enemy fighters blossomed into clouds of metal and smoke as the three fighters split, each tearing after a separate enemy fighter. Rick growled in frustration as the target before him kept banking around, barely able to get his gun sights on him for a split second.

"Stay still you bastard." Rick muttered as the fighter danced around. Finally, the blasted target played nice and Rick sent a burst into the center of the engine block, shredding the energy cells and the fighter became nothing more than hunks of metal bouncing off his canopy. He didn't have any break though as a particle beam grazed his fighter, sending heat warnings into a frenzy. Rick pulled his veritech into a high g turn, feeling his body being forced into the crash seat as he latched onto the back or the enemy fighter. He heard the growl from his headset and mashed his trigger, a missile leaping from it's pylon and slamming into the fighter. Rick scowled as he watched the explosions around him and brought his fighter back around and screamed after one of the dozens enemy fighters darting all over the sky.

"Oh, this is going to be a busy day." He muttered, flying after his newest prey. The fighter before him didn't last too long as he speared the fighter with one of his missiles. The chaotic swirl of battle surrounded him as he rolled his fighter out of the path of a damaged friendly that was trailing smoke and flames, the pilot was able to punch out as Rick got clear. It took Rick mere seconds to spotted a friendly fighter being tailed by a pair of rather attached alien fighters. Rick throttled his plane forward and put the sights of his gun pod on the trailing hostile, the gun pod flashing. The 55mm rounds missed the first one and to Rick's amusement, tagged it's buddy instead, turning the machine into a flaming wreck tumbling towards the ground. The other fighter, having been spooked by the burst, broke off it's chase and twisted to see just who had killed his partner. The trainer blasted by him, and the Gnerl tried to spin around to pursue but found itself speared by a missile from it's earlier prey. The other Veritech pilot pulled up besides Rick, giving him a thumbs up in thanks before going back to the air battle. Rick nimbly dodged a burst of fire from a fighter that had managed to get into his blind spot in the few seconds he had taking his eyes off his radar.

"Alright. You've been back there long enough." Rick growled as he popped his nose up while yanking the throttle back.

The Veritech responded beautifully to his commands as the nose of the plane lifted up enough to raise the now stalling plane out of the flight path of the fighter that shot underneath him. Rick quickly shoved his throttle into the firewall and lowered the nose just enough to put the Gnerl in his gun sights. He sent a pair of longer than normal bursts of gun fire before tagging the banking alien and shredding it into a cloud of metal and fire.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa kept her eyes glued to her display, frowning as she watched two more transponders vanishing off her screen. She divided her attention between Claudia's reports and the control console, she couldn't help but pray Rick would be okay. This fight was rapidly turning into one of the worst fights they'd been in.

"Vermilion, proceed to block number seven." She ordered. "Skull, enemy forces are penetrating through block twelve and sixteen."

"Another enemy wave in bound! CIWS is being redirected!" Sammie called out.

Henry frowned as he watched his display. They needed to destroy that cruiser, but the main guns were still under repairs. They needed to transform the ship. And they needed to do it quickly.

"Claudia, bring our engines out of stand by and get us air borne!"

Claudia hurriedly complied with the Captain's orders and began the process of launching the ship. She wasn't sure what the Captain had in mind but she knew he had a plan.

"Once we have reached sufficient altitude, begin the modular transformation and prepare for the Daedalus Maneuver!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This guy just won't take a hint!" Ben growled, twisting his fighter away from the alien trailing him. "Hey Hound. This joker seems to be rather attached to me. Care to chase him off?"

"Well, I guess." Max's voice replied before a veritech with blue high lights dived down and destroyed the trailing fighter.

Ben let out a relieve sigh before he glanced at the SDF-1.

"Hey, looks like their taking the old girl up. Any idea why?"

The screen snapped on displaying Rick as the man's face was set in determination.

"New orders gents. Hostile units are harassing the main defensive batteries. Hit the deck and go mode G."

The three fighters swung around and dived toward the deck of the _Daedalus_. The screamed in low over the deck, hitting the few enemies stupid enough to get in their way. Rick shifted his veritech and let his gun do the talking, destroying three of the heavier battle pod that were armed a lot more guns. He spotted one that seemed to possible be a command pod based on the custom paint job and heavier armament over the others. The Vermilion leader swung his weapon to target the enemy pod and fired a sustained burst that took it's left arm off.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron screamed in rage as his pod alarms blared to life. His left weapon mount had been completely destroyed by some Micronian fighter. He snarled and turned his pod to bring the rest of his weapons to bare and fired. The fighter before him seemed to change into the humanoid mode and rolled away from the blast before it ignited it's thrusters, leaping high into the blue sky. At the apex of it's leap, the engines shut off and the Micronian brought it's rifle above it's head as it dropped back down.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick brought his gun pod down as hard as he could, the weapon having gone dry when he destroyed the pods left arm. He blinked in surprise as the pod managed to bring it's remaining arm up in defense. The impact shattered the gun pod and did severe damage to the remaining weapons the pod had available to it. Rick stepped back and readied himself for a little CQC as the SDF-1 shifted around him, becoming the avenging angel for those lost to these inhuman monsters.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Blasted insect!" Khyron spat as his screens showed he had lost all but his weakest weapons. He seethed as the fighter before him charged, slamming into his pod with sufficient force to set off stress alarms. This Micronian had guts, Khyron would give him that. He readied himself for another attack before a voice he had learned to loath screamed into his ears.

"Khyron!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick rearmed himself with a gun pod that had been part of the remains from a destroyed veritech, though it had less than thirty percent ammunition in it. He readied the gun and prepared to fire before the alien before him turned and flew off. Rick checked his scopes and noticed the rest of the aliens seemed to be pulling back. Rick was confused until he heard Lisa's voice over the general TacNet.

"All fighters, get clear of the Zentradi Cruiser! Clear the _Daedalus_!"

"Oh shit. Move!" Rick ordered unnecessarily as his men were already getting clear of the carrier.

"Way ahead of you boss!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Daedalus attack in six seconds." Claudia counted down while Lisa concentrated on her screens, ready to execute the move. This need to be perfect as if she did not time it right, those very missiles intended to blow that cruiser from the inside out could very well be a danger to them.

"And...now!"

"Executing!"

To the onlookers who had never seen this attack, it was awe inspiring. The mighty fortress reared back the carrier that had become it's arm before thrusting forward, slamming right into the bow of the vessel, piercing through the thick and durable hull armor. The forward momentum of the alien cruiser transferred to the SDF-1 and her mighty engines flared brilliantly to compensate for the force. The two seemed to hang in the air for several minutes before the alien hull seemed to bubble and ripple along it's length before the SDF-1 pulled away from the now exploding cruiser. The mighty fortress didn't walk away unscathed itself as the explosion seared and melted parts if the hull of the Daedalus and her bow was completely gone as they hadn't gotten clear fast enough, but victory was once again theirs as the flaming wreckage from the shattered alien cruiser fell to the Earth, the burning debris melting the snow. Henry gave a sigh of relief and sunk into his chair but now knew he needed to push his recommendation for them to find some way to end this.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa walked back onto the bridge, letting out a sigh. She had waited patiently for Rick to exit his fighter. She saw his smiling face as he waved at her but he hadn't intended to be pulled into a kiss. She had been worried when she realized half way through the maneuver that Rick and his men had been fighting on the deck of the Daedalus only seconds before they destroyed the alien ship. Their had been cat calls, applause, and several wolf whistles as she pulled away, leaving a dazed Rick. Needless to say, she was relieved he was fine. Rick had given a dazed smile before promising to meet up with her later.

She sighed before brushing a strand of hair from her face and gripped her console as a sharp flare of pain jolted through her, one she knew were it originated.

"Still sore?"

Lisa whipped her head around and caught sight of Claudia's knowing look. She felt her cheeks flush before she nodded, not wanting to speak as they had the bridge to themselves at that moment. Claudia simply smiled at her.

"So...was it everything you were expecting?" She got her answer from the darkened cheeks.

"Yes." She muttered, embarrassed that Claudia was discussing this with her on the bridge.

"I must say Lisa, I'm happy for you. You have finally become a woman again!" Claudia laughed. "You may want to give it a few days before you have another round."

Whatever reply Lisa had was saved as Captain Gloval stepped onto the bridge. His dark eyes surveyed the two women before him, already guessing what they were discussing as he had spotted the rather new glow Lisa held this morning. He may have been up in the years but even he could remember the signs.

"Am I interrupting anything?" He asked pleasantly.

Claudia smirked as Lisa turned as red as a cherry and turned her back to the Captain.

"No sir. Merely briefing Commander Hayes on military procedures of a different nature."

Henry gave a bemused look as Lisa's shoulders tensed up. Of course, he should just walk away and let this rest between them two but it was too tempting of a chance to poke a little fun at his favorite Officer.

"Well," He drawled slowly, rubbing his chin."It is unlikely she'll need any additional 'hand to hand combat' tips to deal with Commander Hunter."

Henry chuckled as Lisa let out an embarrassed groan and ducked her head while Claudia giggled. After today and the news he had just gotten, Henry could use the levity.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter down. Ten in and we have ten left. The action will pick up especially as the dreaded Pineapple Salad SNAFU draws closer. Will the changes effect Roy's death? Will Rick's inclusion in the coming battle make a difference? Will I allow Roy to die? Hmmm...not gonna say here. I will however do my usual shout out to reviews thing next chapter. I really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and again, apologies for the delay. So drop a review. Every review buys a sad Zentradi a Minmei doll.**


	11. Chapter 11 The End of a Life

**A/N: Chapter 11 y'all. I'm happy to say my RoboTech muse that had waned had come back in full force. To get a feel for chaotic air battles, I poped on some BSG (Reimagined 2003) and fell back on some good old fashioned Ace Combat game play, specifically AC5 (My all time favorite to be completely honest). Not to mention speaking with a few Combat Pilots I know, though again speaking about it and living through it are two different things. It was hard for me to balance the story as half of me was tempted to follow cannon and allow Miriya to kill Roy, the other was to let him live. You wanna know how it turns out, just give this a read. Now...replies to the honored reviews!**

 **Andrewjameswilliams: No worries big guy. I understand completely. I've been dividing my attention between several things as well and the holidays always seem to cause plenty of chaos for all. Now, to your most recent review; thank you very much for praise. It bugged me after I learned more about how the planet works and had to plug that particular hole in my mind. As a Weather Marine, MOS 6842, it bugs me when people don't use proper scientific terms or actual facts. Some accuracy would be appreciated. I hope all is well with you my friend and I'm still checking your own RoboTech story myself. I always giggle when I read how Gloval reacted to Rick and the others.**

 **Guest: Now now, I can't be spoiling where Pop's will be or how big of a part he has in the story. You'll have to wait and see!**

 **Fer82: Appreciate your reviews and your thoughts. I'm in full agreement with you on the UEG's orders reguarding the civilian population on the SDF-1. As for Lisa and Admiral Hayes confrontation...well now, I do have a plan with that, and I'm really confident you'll appreciate it. And yeah, I think it was for mostly dramatic purposes with Rick's death.**

 **Cjusa1234: Ah, a new follower! Welcome to my little world! Now, glad you are enjoying this AU tale. I too prefer Macross, however I came across RoboTech first so I tend to follow it more so. And yes, it is disturbing with how little RoboTech/Macross stories there are! And yeah, Pineapple Salad is indeed the bane of the series. As Fer82 said, it was pointless. I hope you'll continue to read and leave a review.**

 **Jag389: Happy you are enjoying the story. And thanks for your kind words. I earned the title and I carry it with pride. I wasn't saying I didn't go outside the wire when I deployed, merely explaining my military background. I'm pretty curious how you came across this story as I admit to looking at your favorite stories list, but I'm not complaining.**

 **CaptMacca: No worries at all. Trust me, there will be more of the developing drama between Admiral Hayes, and the Future Hunter family that should give you some more laughs, maybe even a few tears when Pop and Ole Donnie meet up.**

 **Giulio the Roman: You're reviews are always fun to read! And as for Admiral Hayes' asshole like nature, I actually used a similar conversation I had with the father of an Ex who was a Cop. He wasn't being fully serious, just trying to make a point of how much he cared about his daughter's happiness and her heart. He is indeed a bit of a bastard, but he has good reasons to. As a Flag Officer, he has to be a hard ass and capable of making the tough choices that can and will cost dozens if not hundreds of lives. I think his only real flaw is overestimating the effectiveness of the Grand Cannon. As for Roy, you'll need to read and find out.**

 **Damn that's a lot of reviews to read through! Anyway, onto the tale. Enjoy the first chapter of the new year! Kudos to those who get the three specific references in this chapter. They are altered, but there is enough you should get it!**

* * *

Chapter 11 The End of a Life

Henry couldn't keep his disgust off his face as he gazed upon the assembled council as they gave their final decision in regards to the fate of the civilians on board the SDF-1. The room was silent as Henry merely stared, unblinkingly, not quite sure they were serious. The councilor that spoke looked uncomfortable as Henry's gaze did not leave him. Beside the Captain, an irritated Admiral Hayes looked to be struggling to keep his temper in check as the worms before him remained silent and squirming under the harsh glare he sent each of them. The Councilor coughed before regaining his composure and frowned at Captain Gloval.

"Captain, this council has made it's decision." He spoke, keeping his voice level despite his unease. "The civilians will depart with the SDF-1 upon completion of repairs to the Daedalus to safeguard the future of the human race in the event these aliens decide to wipe us off the planet."

Henry's stony face remained unchanged with the exception of a single raised eyebrow. The silence remained as Donald snorted, earning the attention of Senator Russo who had only to happily took his post back as one of the politicians that controlled the RDF and it's budget.

"Come now Admiral. It is not a decision we have reached lightly." He sneered arrogantly. "In fact, we have also concluded that any crew transfers off the ship are to be denied due to how valuable their experience will be should the worst happen."

Donald opened his mouth, furious that this fat little man was in effect, taking his daughter from him in revenge for how Donald had managed to push through several of his defense measures that Russo had vehemently blocked as there was no profit for him or his many lucrative defense contracts. He had been furious to find out that different contractors had been hired on instead of the ones he made a profit from.

"You little-" Donald growled out, ready to rip into the little man, until Henry cut him off.

"I recognize that this esteemed council has reached what it feels is a the proper course of action." He calmly began, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "However, as it is a completely bullshit decision, I have elected to ignore it. You are seriously expecting me to commit what can be viewed as a war crime, detaining 56,000 innocent civilians for an indeterminate amount of time. This council has lost it's collective mind if you even think for one moment that I will entertain this...this..." Henry tried to control his temper and find the appropriate word but Donald seemed to have one.

"This dumb ass order." Donald snarled. "Henry is right. You all must have lost your damn minds. Especially you, Senator Russo."

"You're out of line Admiral." One of the Senator, a woman frowned. "Despite both of your protests, I find that my full agreement is with the rest of my peers. We need the SDF-1 to act as an ark. This situation is very fluid, as I am sure you both will agree. And right now, we need to focus on our survival as a species over the requests and wishes of the people on your ship. I am sorry but our decision stands, gentlemen." She looked genuinely apologetically.

Henry nodded, not the least bit happy with the order.

"Very well. I shall be returning to my ship to relay your...order."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"That little worm!" Donald slammed his fists onto his desk, sending the pictures frames toppling over. Henry watched, impassively. He understood the Admiral's anger as thanks to Russo, Donald had been unable to get his daughter off the ship. Henry actually didn't feel sympathy for Donald as the man had tried to go behind Henry's back and remove Lisa from his command. That wasn't to say Henry didn't understand his reasons. In fact, it had been expected by Henry and he had already made plans to deny the transfer request on the basis of emotional compromise by the Admiral. But since Senator Russo had already seen to that little issue, it was now a moot point. Henry held up a hand to stall the continuing rant, in which Donald was using some pretty creative curses that impressed even him.

"We can do nothing Donald." He spoke plainly. "At least officially."

Donald took a deep breath before he righted the pictures, calming his raging mind. He closed his eyes, falling back on a trick he learned to control his temper. The Admiral was silent for several moments before he spoke, his eyes still shut.

"Henry, what ever you have planned..." His voice trailed off before he opened his hazel eyes and locked them onto Henry. "Don't tell me. Just...take care of those people how you see fit. Too many have died."

Henry eyed the man before him, seeing that this whole situation seemed to have aged him. Not just knowing his daughter was to be exiled, but that the remaining 56,000 civilians that had survived the battle of attrition the SDF had been forced to undergo the past year would be denied their wish to return home. Donald, like any true warrior, hated the thought of needless deaths of civilians and each death weighed heavily upon him, infuriated him to the point of demanding a payment in enemy blood for each lost life. Henry's gaze lingered on the tired man before he nodded.

"Very well." He rose to his feet and made his way to the door before pausing, not turning his gaze to Donald. "I will do as I must to keep my people and the civilians safe from harm."

The Admiral watched as the Russian left the room, his eyes lingering on the closed door for several second, a tear falling down his face as his thoughts turned to his little girl.

"Keep her safe Henry." His voice carried through the room. "You and that young man both."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miriya sauntered into the mostly empty briefing room, sneering as she passed Khyron. The male growled in irritation as his glare settled upon her. She could care less as she took her place, leaving a sizable distance from Khyron, not wanting to be too close to the filth he was. Before her, Azonia watched the pair with no emotions, merely nodded her head to each in greeting. The lights in the room dimmed and the monitor behind her flared to life, proudly baring the emblem of the Zentradi Empire.

"We've received some rather interesting information from our spies on board the Micronian vessel." She began without preamble, the display behind her snapping an image of Rico, the team leader, that seemed to be frozen as he was speaking. "I have gone over the report and the attached image record to confirm as much of it as possible before bringing you two here to view it. It concerns four Micronians in particular that seem to be their Aces, each having never been shot down." She waved her hand over her controls and the image began speaking from the point it had been abruptly paused at.

"-have a fascinating history. These Humans as they call themselves only recently ended a war on their planet that is the source for much of their skill. We have identified that the White Skull as he is labeled by our forces is an extremely successful fighter, having accumulated one hundred and eight kills during that time period."

Khyron raised his brow, curious about the validity of such a number. It wasn't impossible, but it was still somewhat impressive, for a filthy insect. He had of course heard of the White Skull, or at least what he thought was a rumor. A Micronian who had bested all that came across him, usually in the company of similar colored fighters the Micronians seemed to favor. He wondered just how well this White Skull would fair against himself, but an amused smirk crossed his face as he reasoned that no Micronian could best him. Even that blasted Red Devil would fall under Khyron's might. He only hoped he could capture the fool being and slowly pull him limb from limb. After all, with such a small creature, he would need to take his time to fully enjoy the delicious agony Khyron wanted to inflict upon him. On the display, an image of a Micronian male with blonde hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin appeared.

"They call this human Roy Fokker. He is the Commander of the Human fighter wing and leads what is known as Skull Squadron. This units emblem is what they call the Jolly Roger, a Skull featured predominantly with crossed bones under it. As it's leader, he is frequently called Skull One but his call sign is called Lady Killer. We are still attempting to find information on how he received that moniker as it seems strange these humans would allow someone who murders females into their military."

Miriya smirked, her eyes going over the details that were translated text from what she guessed was his incomplete personnel file those three had managed to recover. Here was her equivalent in the Micronian, no the Human Military, and she found herself wondering if the universe had finally presented her a challenge.

"The next three we have confirmed are the very same trio of humans captured and detained on Commander Breetai's vessel. The first is known as Richard Hunter."

The image of Skull One vanished, replaced by a dark haired youth that even surprised Khyron. The being displayed appeared to be too weak to have been much of a threat with his soft features and such. Though Khyron would admit he looked to have the eyes of a warrior and surprise coursed through him at Rico's next statement, his eyes narrowing in interest.

"We call him the Red Devil, mostly due to his feats on the fourth Primary in this system. He single handedly defeated three squads of Regult pods during the final moments of the battle waged before the Battlefortress escaped. There are earlier conflicted reports but his most well known conflict was his engagement of Commander Breetai in hand to hand combat. Though he lost the fight, we feel that had his intentions not been focused on delaying him, he could have very well bested the Commander."

The room was silent as both Miriya and Khyron both showed disbelief on their faces at what had to be a grossly incorrect statement. Khyron himself had been on the receiving end of Breetai's anger before and knew full well how tough the man was, while Miriya was having trouble accepting that statement as Breetai had trained her long ago and the mighty Zentradi Commander was truly a powerful being, especially during the earlier battles with the Invid.

"He leads what is known as Vermilion Squadron with two others. They call him The Knight after his successful rescue of their female Commander twice, in reference to an earlier period in their past when they fought wars with swords and arrows, likening his exploits to a knight rescuing a royal princess as the term goes. Again, we are still attempting to acquire more information on this topic."

The two warriors glanced at each other, both wondering if this information was even accurate. The screen changed it's image again, this time pulling up a blue haired being with some kind of primitive vision device on his face. Miriya frowned, studying the image before her. He looked to be a rather simple person, yet she could see something about him that drawled her in, though for the life of her should couldn't explain it.

"This one, codenamed Blue Death, is named Maximilian Sterling and is part of the Red Devil's flight. Reports on this man are confusing as he was labeled a rookie pilot and yet his skills put him on par with the Red Devil, though it is debatable as to which is the better warrior. He is credited with over one hundred kills himself and to date, much like the Skull and the Devil, no Zentradi that has gone against him has survived to tell the tale. Our information points that he is the one that freed his compatriots during their capture. They call this man 'Hound'."

Miriya narrowed her eyes as she realized that this was the fighter that had given her a rather interesting chase through the skies of the blue world these humans called their homeworld. While the other two would be worthy opponents, she felt her interest in the one called Hound. She would take much pleasure in ending his existence.

"The name is odd as a hound appears to be a type of four legged creature these humans take as pets. Hounds, as they call them, are known to be excellent trackers and were used in their past to track down escaped prisoners or for hunting purposes. Based on the information we have, this appears to be an apt code name for this being."

Khyron snorted. For once, he was in agreement with the Micronian insects. They had chosen a rather suiting code name for one of their warriors. He really wouldn't trouble himself with worrying about any other supposed ace these worms had. He wanted revenge against this 'Knight' of theirs.

"The final one is by far the most confusing."

The image changed displaying a rather large Micronian with a cheerful smile and brown hair. If any of them looked unthreatening, it was this chubby one.

"Codenamed Yellow Juggernaut, he is known as Benjamin Dixon. While his battlefield prowess may be questionable at times, we can not help but point out he is usually involved in the heaviest of the fighting these four seem to delve into. He has held his own several times against a stronger force of regults, either destroying the attack force outright or buying time for his comrades to arrive and destroy them. His tactics may seem to be foolish in rushing our forces, but we believe it is a facade and he is just as capable as the others. The humans codenamed him Bingo, which may be another reference to what they call dogs due to some kind of story of one baring the name as well. We will forward any further information we are able to gather on that."

The image of Rico appeared once more, ever the professional soldier.

"We must stress that these four are to be considered extremely dangerous and our forces must exercise extreme caution in any engagements they are present. My personal recommendations is to mark them as Priority Targets, to be taken down immediately as past battles have shown how often the tide has turned to their favor once these aces take to the field."

The image paused once more as Azonia steepled her fingers and looked at the two before her, both showing mixtures of disbelief and concentration, their minds trying to explain the information they had just received.

"I have gone through all of our records in the dealings with these people and find myself agreeing with Rico's recommendations. The heart of the matter is that these four are indeed dangerous foes, worthy of you respect."

"The day I respect any of those Micronians is the day I'll die." Khyron snorted dismissively. "You may think they are a danger, and I will admit they are better than the others. But respect? No. I refuse to respect them."

"It will be your undoing Khyron. Each time you have fought them, they have sent you away in defeat. You'd be wise to listen to me." Azonia cautioned, not really caring if he were killed in some foolish scheme. He gave an indignant look as he rose to his feet, his arms crossed as he titled his chin into the air, the man's arrogance almost palpable.

"You may fear or respect them as you wish. I will do no such thing." He left the room, not waiting for the dismissal of his superior officer, leaving Miriya to raise one eyebrow as she watched him leave.

She turned her focus back to her mentor and friend. "I pray the red one kills him."

Azonia smirked.

"It would do wonders for us, wouldn't it?" She mused thoughtfully. "It would surely remove that particular thorn from my side."

Miriya gave a mirthful chuckle.

"Yes. If I may Commander? I have some business to attend." The green haired woman rose to her feet with a respective nod and made to leave the room when Azonia's voice halted her pace.

"It would behoove you to remember well what we discussed." She warned. "These Micronian Warriors are capable and even with your skill, I fear you would fall before them should you allow your ego to cloud your judgment."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Henry sighed tiredly, yet felt victorious. He begun making a few discreet inquires with a few contacts that owed him some favors, trying to find a place for the surviving civilians to call home. It had taken him the better part of a day since his return to the ship to finally receive the good news from the Governor of Ontario Quadrant. The elderly man had listened to Henry, not speaking until the Russian had finished his explanation of the situation. In had infuriated the older man to put it mildly and he told Henry he was more than welcome to offload the civilians in his quadrant, United Earth be damned if they expected anyone to comply with such a horrendous plan to exile 56,000 men, women and children to space after surviving a year long battle to return him. Henry had thanked the man profusely for his kindness and informed him they would be arriving next week once the repairs were completed. It would take some finesse, but Henry was confident they could pull it off under the guise of engine troubles necessitating an emergency landing in that quadrant. He gave a final tired sigh and rose to his feet, groaning as his body seemed to pop and crack in many joints. Taking a last look at the clock, he shuffled from his office and made his way to the bridge. He had gotten very little sleep the past few days but it was something he had long ago learned to deal with.

He entered his bridge, breathing a sigh of relief that in his current state, he didn't crack his head wide open as he had come close to several times before. His crew were darting about, fulfilling their assigned tasks and preparing for another day that he hoped would be incident free. It hadn't helped that Headwaters had ordered them to move the ship further away in case of another attack as the last one had left it's mark on Alaska Base. Almost thirty percent of their anti air placements had been damaged or out right destroyed, not to mention the number of destroyed fighters they had lent into the fight. So here they sat, nestled into a valley some sixty miles north of the base, acting as some kind of bait to lure any Zentradi foolish enough to attack them into a rather clever trap. While they didn't have the CIWS muscle from Alaska Base to help bolster their strength, they had deployed several Spartans and defensive batteries around the valley adding to the already impressive anti fighter weaponry on the ship. It still did nothing to ease his mind as the enemy has shown repeatedly that they could and would penetrate even the toughest defense systems. The only good news Henry had on that front was Doctor Lang had formulated some way to actually turn the pin point barrier into what he called an omnidirectional barrier that allowed them to cover the whole ship instead of a few spots at a time. He did stress that there was a danger to the barrier should it overload. If such a thing were to occur, the barrier would collapse and expel a destructive wave of energy that would wipe out anything in its path for up to thirty miles radius from the SDF-1.

"Status report ladies."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Welcome to all our new faces."

Rick sat in silence on the stage with Roy and the other squadron leaders, looking out at the faces of all their new pilots that Command had transferred to the ship. While he was happy they were now at full strength for each squadron, he wasn't happy that these kids had no experience against the Zentradi forces. The first battle they had with them would see quite a few of these new pilots never returning to the ship. He squashed that thought as Roy continued.

"Many of you are experienced pilots while others are still getting the hang of being a combat pilot. Don't worry, you'll get that edge soon enough." Roy warned. "The enemy we face are unlike any other we have fought in Human history. One you will do well to respect. If you respect the skills of your opponent, it will make it easier for you to kill him."

"Don't treat these aliens like you would a human in combat. You will end up a flaming ball of debris if you try to anticipate their actions like you would one of us. They have a completely different mindset in combat."

Roy proceeded to give an overview to the assembled pilots, using gun camera footage from both surviving veritechs and recovered film from one no longer with them. The men and women watching were in awe at what they were hearing and seeing, which made Rick hopeful that they would last through the coming storm. When he had gone through training, they were still learning how to combat the aliens effectively. Hell, it had taken almost all the way to Mars for them to stop fighting like they were in just a fighter. That had been the biggest and by far deadliest handicap they had. It was hard to unlearn a habit he had all his life, but he had. So had all the surviving pilots, but still they found themselves slipping back into old habits on occasion that some lived to recognized, others did not. Looking around the almost three hundred pilots before him, Rick took stock that the bulk were not wet behind the ears pilots, and it eased his worry some. He almost missed Roy finishing his brief.

"So as you can see, the Zentradi are not someone you want to underestimate. Starting tomorrow, all of you will be assigned to a squadron and will begin training to face this enemy. Today, get settled in and take a look around. If you have any questions, any of the Squadron Leaders up here will be happy to answer them. I'd personally suggest you hold off until you get assigned as more than likely any questions or concerns you may have will be addressed tomorrow morning." He took a hard look around the room, and nodded to himself. "Very well. Report here at 0700 for your assignments. Dismissed."

The pilots rose as one and filed out of the massive bay Roy had repurposed as an auditorium for this situation. It had actually been intended to greet the pilots that had originally been on their way to the SDF-1 before the complete disaster that was the Zentradi arrival. Rick walked over to Roy as he spoke briefly with Ghost Squadron's commander, unable to hear the discussion over the buzz of noise from the exiting replacements. Roy nodded and turned from the man and spotted Rick waiting near by. He frowned, taking in the concerned look on his face.

"You alright Rick?"

The younger man nodded, his blue eyes darting a look over the dwindling mob of pilots.

"I suppose so Roy. It's not going to be easy to get these guys up to a ready level."

"True." Roy agreed, crossing his arms. "It'll be difficult to train them, but we managed before."

Rick conceded his point before his eyes returned to Roy.

"You got a point. I just can't help but feel the storm is about to hit." Rick sighed before running a hand through his hair and gave a shrug. "Maybe I'm just overreacting here, but the Zentradi haven't played their trump card yet. And that's what worries me. I'll see you later Roy. Max wants to try out some new game at the arcade and I promised I'd join him."

Roy waved to his brother and watched his retreating form, his own face set in concern as he mulled over his brother's word. He hadn't the chance to tell him that he too felt that the other boot was going to drop. He just hoped it didn't drop on them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Alright boys and girls." Rick called into his com. It was mid morning the next day and Rick had decided it was a good chance to take his squadron up for some training, to get them used to flying together and working as a team. So far, he could see they had a lot of work ahead of them to get this motley bunch of kids flying like a unit and not a circus. Rick had the grace to look chagrined when Lisa had stated as much during the first hour. This was hour three and he was starting to wonder if these kids wouldn't kill him on accident. "We've got a lot of work to get rid of your rough edges."

He glanced out of his cockpit, taking in the majestic beauty of the area as the mountains and valleys below flashed by. The Eighteen veritechs flew in perfect formation as they began the trip back to the SDF-1 at the completion of Rick's training mission. They'd gone through mock dogfights between each other, even had a few rounds where Rick, Ben, and Max went head to head with the rest or against each other. That had been interesting as the three aces seemed to be pretty well matched with Ben managing to win that little fight, but barely. He'd used his veritech beautifully, combining a controlled stall with a mode shift to Guardian and had managed to tag Rick before he flipped himself around in time to take out Max. Dixon had truly come along way and was now a deadly and effective pilot.

 _"Vermilion Leader, Control."_

Rick flipped his com on and saw the face of Lisa Hayes. His smile was gone in an instant at her concerned look. Concern flared into his very core as she spoke.

 _"The SDF-1 is under attack by enemy forces. Sensors show inbound enemy contacts in bound to reinforce. We need you to engage those hostiles."_

"Understood. Any friendlies coming to back us up?"

Lisa shook her head.

 _"Negative. Our forces are tied up here."_

"Come on Lisa! I'm babysitting nuggets up here!"

 _"We're trying Rick. Just...don't die."_

Rick clicked the com off and growled in frustration as his eyes darted to his tactical readouts from the SDF-1. Twenty four contacts at two thousand feet and closing fast. Rick opened the squadron channels and throlled his veritech out of formation.

"Alright, enemy contacts in bound. Bingo, Hound, go trail and stay close." He ordered, though his men were already rolling into position of his wings. "Rest of you. Go high and keep them from getting around us. You see a shot, you take it."

The three lead veritechs rolled as one and dove towards the deck, their air speed indicator flashing past six hundred knots in moments as the massive engines flared brilliantly with power as the remaining fighters loosened their formation, eyes scanning the sky for any contacts ahead of them. The three fighters leveled off at two thousand, and Rick checked his display.

"Initial point in five seconds." He watched as the leading edge of the enemy formation appeared on his display. "Here we go."

The three flew straight ahead, each trying to gain a missile lock to help thin the heard. Rick glued his eyes forward, seeing the tell tale flare of the enemy fighter pods engines. Rick grit his teeth as his own system blared a warning that he had been targeted.

"Visual contact confirmed, bandits at twelve." Rick smoothly inched his throttle forward, closing the distance quickly. "Open ranks...and engage!"

Rick shoved his throttle and spun his fighter to avoid the opening bursts from the alien fighters. The humans replied in kind, Ben letting an explosive present take flight from his wing that slammed full force into the cockpit of a pod that had been flying a little to aggressively ahead of his brethren. The Zentradi pilot learned his final lesson as he turned into a a massive ball of flame and debris. The aliens began to try to swarm them. Rick rotated his fighter, a blast grazing his underbelly close enough to let off warnings from the gun pod sensors. A missile tore down from the clouds and slammed hard into the offending alien fighter and Rick chanced a look. Descending as if from the heavens themselves, the rest of his squadron screamed down into the furball, weapons blazing like avenging angels. Several enemy fighters went up in explosions as the rest of the squadron began the deadly dance. The com came alive as victorious cries were heard mixing with shouts of help and in one case, a death scream from one unlucky fighter that exploded in a spectacular display. He tore his eyes from the battle and chanced a look at his radar and gasped. Thirty more enemy contacts had arrived, joining the fight.

"Control, it's getting a bit crowded out here! Any help you can spare?" he demanded, yanking his stick around to avoid what would have been a text book slash and dash by one of the rather confident aliens. "Talk about a knife fight in a phone booth." He muttered, mashing his firing stud.

The 55mm rounds tore from his guns and looked as if they were gently creasing the alien fuselage before the explosive rounds detonated, tearing through the armor.

 _"Skull in on the way Rick. We've managed to gain the upper hand but it looks like the bulk of enemy forces are headed your way."_

"Oh that's just dandy. Tell Roy to hurry up!" He clicked his com over and told his men to hang on. Three more of his fighters were swatted from the sky as he tore off after a wounded alien fighter that seemed hell bent on killing one of his pilots, a young woman who he only knew the callsign of.

"Deadbolt, break right!" He barked.

The Veritech rolled sharply right and banked hard. The alien had done what Rick had hoped and tried to follow, landing right in his sights. A short rumbled form the gun was felt before the bandit was shredded. Rick didn't have time to celebrate as a familiar battle pod screamed down after him, forcing Rick on the defensive. He winced as a squeal of static assaulted his ears.

 _"There you are, Red Devil. Time for you to die!"_ A voice Rick was unfamiliar with, arrogantly blared through his head set.

Rick dove again, narrowly avoiding a sustained particle beam blast that probably scorched his paint.

"Who is this?" Rick demanded, trying to find someway to get this bastard off his ass.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron laughed darkly as he chased after the fighter in front of him.

"You don't need to know." He sneered, triggering his cannons again.

The Micronian fighter dove once more, barely missing a mountain as he tried to escape Khyron. As much as he wanted to blast this insect from the sky, he was thoroughly enjoying this as his prey once more evaded his attack.

"Run little man. Run like the bug you are!" Khyron cackled madly as he kept close to the fighters tail. "I will enjoy watching you burn!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Little fixated aren't you?" Rick muttered, diving between peaks and almost skidding his belly across the cliff faces. His com was a buzz from the cries of his pilots. It infuriated him to no end that he was prevented from helping his men. "Where are you Roy?" Rick mumbled, nimbly avoiding a second blast.

"Skipper! I can't get to you. I seem to have ended up with a tail." Max reported as his face appeared on the com panel.

"Join the club Max." He growled, managing to tag a fighter that soared past. Even though he had a rather attached follower, he was still able to do what he could to thin the herd. "Any sign of Skull yet?"

"Skull is on site Vermilion." Roy's voice cut in over the frantic radio chatter. "Looks like your men are doing pretty good."

"No time for-whoa!" Rick pulled back hard, shooting straight up as a friendly was destroyed right in front of him. Rick snapped his head, trying to spot a chute. None appeared. "I can handle myself Skull One. Hit the stragglers and get my men back to safety."

"Boss, we aren't leaving you!" Ben's voice came over the com, the strain in his voice plain.

"Rick, I'm not leaving you out here."

Rick didn't respond as he pulled back hard, settling the craft into a nose dive and was pleasantly surprised to see that the enemy pod was directly in his gun sights. For one moment, time seemed to stop. The whole swirl of battle frozen around him as his eyes took in every detail of the enemy pod. He would years later swear he had seen the face of the enemy pilot set into a scream of fury. As if in slow motion, tracers cut through the air, strafing the pod. The pod seemed to hold as the rounds dug into the armor and power conduits until the whole right side of the heavily armed and armored pod sheared away as the weakened metal joints gave way. Rick blew by the wounded pod and time resumed it's pace.

"Clear!" Rick cried in relief before he rolled himself and headed back towards the main battle that was now becoming a rout. He spotted Roy engaged in a furious dogfight with with four enemy fighters. As Rick watched, Roy shifted his fighter into his battloid mode and proceeded to waste two targets in quick succession before shifting back to fighter mode and tearing off after number three. Rick shoved his throttle into the firewall in pursuit of the fourth hostile that was attempting to line up Roy for a kill shot. If Roy banked after his target to the right, he'd expose the left of his cockpit to enemy fire. Rick had no way of knowing if Roy even knew that bogey was there. Rick wasn't going to take that chance as he saw Roy's target going right. "Roy! Break left, now!"

The white fighter turned sharply left as the enemy fighter got it's shot off. Thankfully, instead of spearing through the cockpit as it probably would have and instead connected with his right wing, blowing most of it off as it hit the missile payload still attached.

"NO!" Rick cried out as Skull One spirled towards the deck, trailing smoke and fire. "Roy! Punch out!"

There was no response and Rick feared the worst until he saw the flash of the explosive bolts that blew the canopy before Roy's crash seat was ejected from the wounded bird. Rick watched as his chute unfurled and knew Roy would be okay.

"Control. Skull One is down, but I've got a good chute. Send SAR birds."

He didn't listen to Lisa's response as he spotted Max embroiled in a rather heated fight while Ben had managed to gather up the rest of the squadron and was leading them on a merry little chase through the clouds, taking down fighter after fighter in rapid succession. He noted with pride at how the easy going pilot lead the nuggets to victory. Rick angled his bird and throttled after Max and his new friend that seemed to be coming closer and closer to hitting each other.

"Not today buddy. Vermilion one, sweet lock. Fox two!"

The missile tore from it's pylon and soared after the enemy pod. He watched in amazement as the enemy pod spun about and knocked his missile from the sky with a deft hand. Rick hadn't intended to hit the pod, merely spook him but seeing that skill was aweinspiring. Max, seeing his opening fired his gun pod in Battloid mode, catching the pod in the exposed back. Flames and smoke began to spew from the enemy contact. Rick joined Max, shifting to battloid mode as well, his gun pod ready. Behind the contact, Ben appeared, slamming his shoulder into the enemy, sending it tumbling briefly towards the ground before it recovered and regained control of it's descent.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miriya snarled she eyed the three fighters before her, warning lights illuminating across her display. She had almost had the blue one until that infernal Red Devil shot a missile at her. In the split second she took to destroyed the offending explosive, the Blue one had managed to cripple her weapons system with his well placed burst. And now, the Juggernaut had arrived. She seethed as the three darted for her and knew she had to break this engagement. With the damage suffered, she wouldn't be able to deal with all three at once. At least the thought that the Red One had perhaps killed Khyron pleased her. She dove clear of a burst from the Blue one and ignited her primary thrusters, shooting high into the air on a course to leave the planet. She locked her external camera onto the blue one, her rage at being bested by these worms bubbling close to the surface.

"This isn't over. I will find you again Blue Death. And I will be the one to end you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick paced the hospital waiting room, his thoughts and prayers for his brother's life. They had returned to the ship eight hours ago and made a bee line for the infirmary where Roy had been taken shortly after his rescue. He'd been barely conscious when they arrived, weakly ordering them not to worry about him. Now, they hadn't heard anything since then. Rick gave an explosive sigh and dropped into an empty chair and dropped his head into his hands, his body shaking. A sound of heels met his ears and a familiar scent tickled his nose. He heard the chair beside him sag slightly before a soft hand landed on his shoulder. Rick didn't even look as he placed his hand over Lisa's, knowing full well who it was.

"Now I understand what you felt."

Lisa watched as Rick leaned back in his chair, turning his head to face her. She saw the pained look in his eyes mixed with guilt at his statement. She cupped his face with her hand, rubbing her thumb over his cheek, while she tried to convey a sense that things would be okay. She looked to where Claudia sat, her hands gripping her uniform skirt as her eyes never left the twin doors do the surgery room.

"He'll survive."

Rick turned his gaze to Claudia, her red, puffy eyes still locked on the same doors.

"Roy won't die. We have to have faith he'll survive."

"She's right Rick." Lisa gently spoke, gently squeezing his hand. Rick looked back to her and gave a small smile.

"I hope so."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miriya smirked as Khyron limped into the room, his scowl not having changed one bit.

"Pity. You still draw breath."

Khyron glared harshly at her, anger blazing in his eyes.

"The filthy Micronian merely was lucky." His scowl turned to a sneer. "I heard you yourself didn't come away unharmed." He mocked.

Miriya narrowed her eyes dangerously, opening her mouth to retort before Azonia entered, her face set in a harsh visage as she stalked toward the table. The Commander's eyes swept over them both in disgust as they continued to squabble. Her cold eyes locked onto Miriya before she spoke.

"You failed."

It was spoken with noticeable venom and Miriya recoiled under the glare as Azonia turned her eyes to Khyron. The man simply returned her glare with a sneer, as if daring her to speak.

"Leave Khyron. I will speak to you soon enough."

Khyron snorted.

"Yes. I look forward to that." He stated, leaving the room.

"Did I mention that Breetai would be joining us for that conversation?"

Khyron froze for a split second before he left, attempting to keep what pride he had left. Azonia waited for the hatch to seal before she lowered herself into her chair, Miriya settling into the chair across from her. The Commander studied to woman before she sighed.

"You failed to take my advice to heart and were bested by Micronians of all things." She closed her eyes briefly before she opened them. "How do you wish to salvage your reputation Miriya?"

The woman looked to the table, her mind racing in thoughts and plans before she grasped upon her desire to defeat the Blue Death. Her gaze rose, a determined look in her eyes and a confident smirk on her lips.

"I wish to infiltrate the Battlefortress and kill the Blue Death with my own hands."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick looked upon his brother with a mixture of relief and worry. The doctors had managed to save his life and stop his bleeding from his wounds. Apparently, when the wing was destroyed, several pieced had perforated his cockpit and sliced through his leg just above the knee. The Doctor had stressed that the damage to his leg was severe, with damage to his nerves. They had informed Rick and Claudia that several nerves had been severed and due to the heat damage, reconnecting them was impossible. Rick took a steadying breath as Lisa came behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"How is he?" She asked quietly, having not been in the room when the Doctors had spoken to Rick and Claudia.

"He'll live." His voice was barely above a whisper. "But they don't know if he'll wake up. He took a hit to the head on landing."

Lisa slipped around to his side, and Rick put his arm around her shoulder, his body shaking as his mind grasped just what the damage meant to Roy.

"He won't be able to fly combat anymore."

Lisa looked up at him, seeing the emotional storm in his eyes. Lisa looked behind her as the door opened and saw a man roughly Rick's height, but a larger build on his frame. Lisa recognized the man as he made his way beside them, his pained gaze locked on the man unconscious on the bed. The man stepped to Ricks left, placing a hand on his shoulder, never breaking his gaze. Rick looked surprised to see the man, but turned his gaze back to Roy's unmoving form.

"No. He won't."

"You heard."

The man nodded his head as a tear fell from his eyes.

"I did. And you're right. His life as a combat pilot." Pop Hunter sighed and wiped his eyes, "His life as a combat pilot is over. But at least he's alive."

* * *

 **A/N: Ha! Bet some of you thought someone would die this chapter! Not yet, though I can't keep giving the good guys a good hand to play. It's too obvious but trust me, there will be loss of life that will affect our favorite rag tag war fighters! Now, I put in an intel briefing because it made no sense to me that old Rico and crew weren't sending burst transmission to the flagship at least once a week. And spy element would make sure any possible intel gained got back to their superiors, not waiting until they were retrieved by friendly forces. What if they had been captured? All that intel (in this case some is misunderstood by understandable) would have been lost. And for those who thought the monikers labeled by the Zentradi for Roy and the gang isn't realistic, that is false. Any military tends to assign codenames to sufficiently deadly opponents. Look at Nam. Gunny Hathcock was the balliest sniper in US Marine Corps History, so effective they put a bounty on his head. They nicknamed him the White Feather because of his prefered rifle was called an M25 White Feather.**

 **As I said, I want to make it more realistic as even though it's fiction, realistic moments help draw you more into the tale, make it seem more possible. And by far much more enjoyable. Next chapter will be a true whirlwind and the fighting will be much much dirtier. Again, please continue to review.**


	12. Chapter 12 Hopes and Fears of the Future

**A/N: So very very sorry for the rather lengthy delay on this chapter. For one frightening moment, my RoboTech Muse abandoned me quicker than when khyron got vaporized. So I started watching Robotech and peicing together a few later chapter tidbits. We actually have completely left my original storyline as let's face it, sticking close to a poorly written story was a recipe for disaster. Anywho, with out A/Ns this is the largest chapter I have written at...OVER NINE THOUSAND!...words that is. Apologies, couldn't resist! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Remember, a read with out a review is like a Veritech with out the ability to shift forms, a good thing but not fully effective.**

* * *

Chapter 12 Hopes and Fears of the Future

The steady sound of the heart monitor was a comforting noise to the man sitting beside the bed. The steady hum of the lights and the noise as hospital personnel went about their routines joined the somber chorus. The elderly man, one who did not look it unless one knew different, watched the rise and fall of the room's unconscious occupant as he took steady breaths with help from the ventilator. It pained his heart to see this man unmoving. The young man, who was always so full of life, looked as if he would join the honored dead at the drop of a hat, so pale and cold. He reminded himself that his boy was still alive, and it had comforted him to a degree. He wanted his son to wake, to see the life in his eyes. Mitchell Hunter sighed and rubbed his tired face, feeling exhaustion creep deep into his being as the hour drew late. The muted swish of the doors caught his attention, but he didn't ask who it was as the unmistakable sound of dress shoes on tile reached his ears.

"How is he?" A very familiar male voice asked in the silence.

"In a coma." Mitch answer morosely, his eyes never leaving his son. "Doctors are surprised he even pulled through with the amount of blood he lost. It was too damn close."

"I'm sorry Mitch."

The first emotion besides worry and exhaustion crossed Mitchel Hunter's face, but it was one of anger, an anger that had been building all through the day but at what was plainly clear.

"Why would you be Donnie?" His cold tone bringing the man up short. "If it wasn't for you and your damn alien ship, Roy wouldn't..."

His voice caught in his throat as he closed his eyes tightly, hot tears threatening to spill. Donald Hayes looked upon a man he called friend in surprise, the sting of his cold fury biting deep. His mind was a buzz at his statement and more than a little bewildered at his friend's hostility.

"You think this is my fault?" His tone matched his confusion. The man leveled his cold glare at Donald and in that moment he understood. Mitch blamed him not just for Roy being in the hospital but probably blamed him, indirectly, for Rick's own hospitalization not too long ago. The cold burning anger hit Donald deep.

"I see. Well, I'll leave then." Donald turned to leave, his face a blank mask, before Mitch let out an explosive sigh.

"Sit your ass down Donnie, or I'll make you. You remember Guam." Mitch tried to sound threatening, but only came off as tired. His dark blue eyes seemed hollow as Donald took the seat next to Mitch, his face a mask that cracked only slightly as a nostalgic grin crossed his face.

"If I remember correctly, I put you on your ass with Old Tweety cleaning my clock." Donald corrected with a sideways glance. "Good times. You know, they still haven't lifted the ban to this day for that bar."

Mitch snorted, some humor coming from the man instead of the hostility he had been showing earlier.

"Yeah, well, that's good. No need for someone else to repeat our mistakes." Mitch commented dryly, his heart clenching painfully as he looked over Roy.

"To be fair, I thought he was a woman too Mitch." Donald chuckled. "But that's why I never went drinking with you two idiots off base after that."

"If you're smart, you won't tell my boys that story." He shot him a quick glare, and Donald raised his hands in surrender. Mitch crossed his arms, his bearded features hidden in the dim lighting. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I know you didn't cause this. Hell, even if I wanted to, I can't even blame you for recruiting Roy into all this. He'd have jumped at the chance no matter what I thought."

"Sounds a lot like a cocky pilot I knew years ago." Donald mused. "If memory serves, he thought it was perfectly sane to fly through a tunnel."

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Mitch defended. "I still say it was a good plan."

"Mitch, you blew up the wrong warehouse." Donald reminded him.

Mitch grimaced in remembrance of that particular mission before he banished those memories as he asked the question that was on his mind.

"Why are you here Donnie? Not that I don't mind the company, but you don't do anything with out a reason." Mitchell commented, his eyes boring into the other man. Donald looked at his shoe, uncomfortable under Mitch's stare. It had been a long time since he'd seen that particular look, he mused with some shame. It had been when he'd corrected Mitch for walking around with his hands in his pockets. Donnie had been a fresh Ensign from OCS, eager to be the best officer he could. The ass chewing he had gotten had been of epic proportions as then Lieutenant Commander Hunter had been fishing a lighter from his flight suit to smoke. Needless to say, Ensign Hayes had failed to address him with any tact, having thought him a crew chief or such with how casual he had been joking with a few of the enlisted crew. That had set the tone for awhile until the pair eventually came to an understanding, one might even say friendship.

"I need a favor Mitch." He finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "The council is exiling this ship and her crew. I...wanted to transfer my daughter off this ship but a fat little rat blocked my attempt."

Mitchel's gaze hardened, a flash of rage crossed his face. Donald nodded to the unsaid words.

"I know. I know." He placated. "I don't exactly agree with it myself. But the fact is, a storm is coming Mitch. I know you can sense it."

Mitch nodded his head. "Yeah. Feels like it did right before the Civil war."

"Exactly. I don't...I think it's actually better that Lisa will be on this ship. Things are going to get ugly real fast Mitch, and..." He took a deep breath before he locked his eyes to Mitchel's. "I have a feeling I won't see my little girl after she leaves. Earth...I can't help but feel we'll be wiped off of the face of it."

Mitch was stunned, seeing the fear in the face of a man who never showed any in the face of an enemy. It was...humbling to see.

"We can't fight the firepower these aliens can bring to bare on us. We're on the wrong side of too many guns." Donald looked to his cover he gripped tightly in his hands. "I've already filled out the paper work to transfer you to the SDF-1 as a Military Flight instructor."

"What?" Mitchell didn't even know what else to say as his mind grasped what he was being told. "I'm not shaving my beard." He warned, trying desperately to break the tension and worry in the room. This was a lot to take in, but he was still waiting to hear what this old dog wanted in return. While Mitch wasn't too pleased he'd be teaching morons how to fly, he was smart enough to know it was a cover for something. Donald gave a small chuckle before continuing.

"Nothing like that will be needed Mitch." His mirth vanished just as quickly. "I'm doing this as my favor is from one father to another. I need you to promise me you'll watch over Lisa for me if...if the worst happens."

Mitch was stunned, his mouth agape as he processed what the man had just asked him. He saw the seriousness in the man's eyes and he snapped his mouth shut.

"You seriously think things will go that sideways?"

Donald nodded.

"I do. Besides," He gave a weary smirk. "I saw how much our kids care about each other. I'm pretty sure she'll be your daughter-in-law soon enough. Though, not too soon I hope." He muttered the last part as he looked back at his cover. Mitch gave a thoughtful hum before looking back to his comatose son, his mind going back to when his brother in everything but blood had made a similar request of him.

"You know. I thought ol' Dan was off his rocker when he asked me the same thing." A wistful smile was on his face. "Told him he was nuts. At the time, I was single with out a kid and this dumbass wants me to watch out for his impressionable whelp? Roy was barely a few days old if my memory is right. I thought he had been joking." He shook his head in remembrance, his gaze locking onto the man beside him with a seriousness that spoke volumes.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told him then Donnie, so you don't feel left out." He smirked, watching the other man snort in humor. "I'll watch over your kid as if she were my own if something happens. You just make sure you don't put me in that position, you hear? Lord knows I can barely keep myself out of trouble."

Donald smiled, his relief plain. He knew, logically that Lisa was a grown woman who could handle herself, but as a father, he wanted to make sure she was looked after. Mitch's face took on a much more mischievous look that looked fairly creepy with most his face covered in a beard.

"I expect to be sitting across from you if they do get married so don't go getting yourself killed just yet."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick walked numbly out of the conference room. Captain Gloval had summoned him over an hour ago with the other squadron leaders to discuss the gap in the chain of command with the incapacitation of Roy. Most of the meeting had been talking over strategy for the defense of the SDF-1 now that they were out of range for any friendly support from the RDF, or as Rick bitterly corrected himself after Gloval briefed them on the new orders for the ship, a complete betrayal by the RDF as they would not offer any kind of help outside of sending provisions in an attempt to keep out of the fight until such time they had the strength to do so. The most optimistic projections were ten years at the earliest for Earth to even be able to rival the massive armada of Zentradi ships. His eyes narrowed as his mind mulled over all of the facts, which also pointed to the conclusion that the brass would not attempt a diplomatic option. It seemed it was up to them to bring this one ship war to an end soon. But that was a minor stumbling block to him. The biggest issue, one that had him reeling in surprise, was being informed that as the ranking senior officer in the air wing, he would be stepping up and taking Roy's place as CAG and the new Squadron Commander for Skull. His former command would be passed on to Max, a move Rick wholeheartedly agreed with as Max had shown himself a capable leader and definitely deserved his own command.

Ben would be remaining with Vermilion for the time being until they had a squadron to put him in charge of. The only decision made that Rick did not agree with was for him to take Roy's place. The old dog had been laid up for the past few days with the Doctors confident he would wake soon. Logically, Rick knew the injuries suffered would quite possibly force Roy into a desk job or more likely, a tactics instructor for new pilots entering the service. If Roy went that direction, then he'd work closely with Pop as the man had told Rick he'd been transferred to the SDF-1 to teach basic flight. Even though the Veritech could shift to different forms, any pilot that set foot in one had to know the basics of how to keep a plane in the air. His musing were cut short as he ended up in a small lounge, mostly forgotten in favor of the larger ones located in the lower levels of the ship. He blinked as the bright yellow sun poured into the mostly empty room, illuminating the bare walls in it's warm and inviting glow. It was, as Rick noticed, mostly empty aside from himself and a man that Rick wasn't sure if he liked or hated. Respected for sure. Donald Hayes glanced to the young man, having heard the opening of the doors and raised an eyebrow, his unasked question plain to Rick.

"Just lost in thought sir." Rick muttered, turning to leave. "Apologies for interrupting."

"No. It's quite alright. I've been meaning to speak with you Commander."

Rick paused and turned his curious stare to the Admiral, the other man's body language seemed to show no hostility nor did his eyes. "What for sir?"

Donald smiled and beckoned the man over to him. Both gazed out over the Alaskan winter land, snow covering everything, even the ancient trees that stood proudly and silent amongst the land.

"I wanted to apologize for my harsh words last week. Just so we are clear, I have nothing against you."

 _'Could have fooled me.'_ Rick snarked in his mind but wisely keep that thought to himself. Seeing his companion had remained silent, Donald pushed on as he thought over the angry words from his daughter from what, in her opinion, was an embarrassing ordeal that was the meeting of the man she loved and her father. She rightly pointed out that Rick had remained respectful, trying to make a good first impression on him and he had simply stomped all over the younger man in some sort of Neanderthal mindset to frighten away a falsely perceived threat to his family. It had taken much effort to reign his fury filled daughter away from her tangent and explain that it was his job to ensure she was safe and happy. Her parting shot before storming from his office had been cold and harsh, stating he hadn't been her protector since her mother died. The hurt and realization of how correct she had been had left Donald reeling from regret at his actions towards his little girl. _'No. Not a little girl. A strong and intelligent woman capable of making her own choices.'_ He mused.

"I never really approved of Karl." He sated without preamble. His comment infusing surprise into the young man, making him smile tightly. "It's true. He was a good kid but he seemed too...soft I suppose is the word. Not a fighter. Not some one who I'd see fighting his way to the gates of hell for my daughter."

"I'm not sure I'm following here sir."

Donald sighed and his shoulders slumped, hands gripping the rail before him as his mind raced to formulate his thoughts to words. It almost appeared to Rick as if the man was fighting an internal battle with himself. And he'd be right as Donald decided to bare the truth for him to see.

"When Lisa first introduced him to me, I wasn't too pleased. He came from a military family like you, his mother having served under me during Gulf." Donald rubbed his temple with one hand while the other remained on the rail. "He was bright. Scored high on all his test. He and Lisa had played together as kids and were good friends. But he never really showed any spine during my little questioning of him."

Rick looked down, his face flushing as he thought of his own submission in the face of Donald Hayes. "I didn't either sir."

"Yes you did." Donald corrected with a half smile. "Raised words don't mean someone has a spine. Your confidence and unwavering loyalty spoke louder than if you shouted. A fool can scream to the heavens and people will still label him a fool, but a confident man let's his presence speak for him. Your demeanor told me all I needed to know about you. More than your service jacket did."

Rick blinked and looked to the Admiral, some confusion bouncing around in his mind. He was trying to understand what the older man had said, and some of it did make sense to him. Donald smirked, recognizing the look he was getting.

"Let me ask you this. Have you ever sized up a nugget? Been able to peg down just what kind of pilot he could be?"

Rick nodded, his mind flashing back to his review of his own men, Ben in particular. He had known that the man could be one of the best, and that despite his joker like nature, he was a fighter and a brave man. Most would say his size alone marked him as a warrior but Ben's personality showed just how far he would go to defend those close to him. The first time he had ever seen the cheerful guy angry,y Rick knew he had been right. And it became clear to what the Admiral was saying. Donald nodded his confirmation, seeing the realization flash in the young man's eyes.

"You understand now. When my daughter told me she was dating Karl, he didn't measure up to the most important criteria in my eyes." His gaze became unfocused and a sharp edge developed in them. "He would have been able to provide for her and love her yes. But I didn't have faith that he could protect her; keep her safe should her life become threatened. He only joined up to impress me, not because he wanted to of his own free will or to make his family proud. He was a good man yes, but one who wasn't meant to be a fighter. You however," Rick flinched slightly as Donald jabbed a finger at him. "You joined to protect this ship and her people. You joined because you felt the need to do something worth while. To make your family proud of you. To be proud of yourself."

Rick nodded thoughtfully, though part of his mind reminded him of his prior mindset of the military in general. He would always carry that shame with him of his ignorant and disrespectful words about those who were the shield and sword for Earth and those who had sacrificed so much for their people. He waited as the silence seemed to become suffocating, waiting to hear what this man would say next.

"That's why I can say that I honestly approve of you dating my daughter. You've a good head on your shoulders and are a fine Officer in the service." He smirked, darting a glance at Rick. "And you keep Lisa from getting into too much trouble."

Out of all the things Rick had expected to hear from him, that wasn't one of them. He was taking aback at the sheer truthful tone behind his words. As he looked to the Admiral, he saw a relief in his posture, as if a weight had been lifted from the man's shoulders. The Admiral was being completely honest with him.

"I..." Rick swallowed, his voice tinged with shock that he quickly fought to remove. "Thank you sir. I know it will mean the world to Lisa that you gave your blessings."

Donald cocked an eyebrow as he looked to Rick. "And what of you?"

"Honestly, I would have stayed with Lisa even if you didn't like me. No offense sir, but I've had a thirty foot tall alien with a rifle try to step on me. I'm not too intimidated by your words." Rick shrugged. "But Lisa is _my_ world. I'd do whatever is necessary to keep her happy. To make her smile."

Seeing the other man's appreciative smile, Rick knew his truthful words hadn't offend the man, in fact, they probably earned him some respect from the man. To be honest though, he really didn't mind if the man had gotten offended.

"What drew you to my daughter if I may ask? How did you two meet?"

Rick paused for a fraction of a second before he answered.

"It wasn't the best of meeting sir. The first time I saw her, I sorta called her old." Rick stated sheepishly. "Called her an old sourpuss as a matter of fact. Hadn't realized the whole bridge heard it."

"So you your first mission huh?" Donald became nostalgic, remembering his own little slip up when he had first joined . Though Rick didn't need to know about it yet, even though Donald was certain Mitch would tell the story himself someday. "You should have known a flight controller has an active com line for the ships CO to listen to."

"Well, I wasn't exactly enlisted when it happened. She kinda thought I was a military pilot at the time."

Donald blinked in surprise and turned fully to his companion. "I'd really love to hear this."

Rick launched into his tale of his first taste of combat, how Lisa had ordered him into the air despite not checking if he was even rated to fly the trainer he had been in. Rick told the Admiral of how Roy had planned to take him up in the same trainer aircraft in an attempt to entice him to join the RDF, and about how well he fared in that fateful air battle. Donald had stared at him, disbelievingly as he listened. By the time Rick recounted the tale, the older man snorted in amusement while Rick rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Well that explains the how. You haven't explained the why yet." Donald smirked.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin." Rick stated, leaning against the rail. "There is so many little things that drew me to her. Still do."

"Indulge an old man." Donald commented, resting his forearm on the rail and shifting his weight to his side in a casual sort of lean. "What are the biggest things that pop into your head?"

Donald did have another alternative to his questioning besides his curiosity. He needed to be certain, more so than he already was, that this young man before him was truly the best person for his daughter and that his approval had not been misplaced, though he doubted it was. Rick stared off out the floor to ceiling window, his face thoughtful.

"I guess to start, she's smart. The most intelligent person I know. Even though I lose more debates than win, she never makes me feel like an idiot." He paused before correcting himself. "Well, no more than when I am being an idiot."

Donald chuckled. "You're a man pal. All women think we are idiots."

"True." Rick conceded. "But even when she's angry at me for being a moron at times, she's extremely patient with me. Half the time I think it's because she wants me to start thinking about how my actions can affect myself and others. The other half...well let's just say I've pushed the wrong buttons on occasion." He admitted with some annoyance at himself.

"Then there is her looks." His smile returned as his eyes seemed to stare off into the distance. "From how her eyes sparkle when she's happy, or just plain amused. They always seem to convey her moods perfectly. When I see those two hardened emeralds, I know to keep my mouth shut and listen to her as she vents. Made the mistake too many times not to have learned that lesson well." He chuckled.

"When she walks into a room, no matter what her mood is, I forget how to breath. Or my heart starts to skip a beat or two when she gives me that impish little smile of her's. She may not think she's gorgeous but that just makes her even more so to me. She has a natural beauty to her, an inner beauty. Something no make up in the world can replicate." He smiled goofily. "As I said, it's a long list."

Rick chanced a glance at the man and saw the thoughtful expression on his face. "You probably think I sound like a fool."

"No. You sound like a man truly in love." Donald stated, his own thoughts turning to his late wife. "I felt the same way about Lisa's mother myself so I understand what your saying."

Rick turned to speak until he heard the swish of the doors and saw Lisa entering the room, a dazzling smile on her face. She didn't say a word, merely walked over to him and slipped her delicate arm around his waist in a tight embrace before she pulled back and smiled sweetly at him. Rick gave a hesitant smile before he spoke.

"I thought you had duty on the bridge." He questioned.

"I do, but Claudia called and said Roy has woken up." She saw his eyes light up in happiness. "I figured you'd like to know."

He kissed her gently before his smile widened. "That's great news. Do you want to come with me to see him?"

"Not this time flyboy." She turned in his arms to face her father, giving him a small smile. "I want to spend some time with my father before he has to leave."

Rick was a little put out, but understood completely where she was coming from. He pulled away from her and made as if to leave the room before she stopped her.

"Dinner tonight?"

He gave her a grin and nodded. "Yeah. And I'm cooking this time. I learned how to make a few things with out burning a building down."

"Oh this I have to see." She laughed. "Alright Hunter. You're on."

He gave her a final short kiss before heading off to the infirmary to see his now conscious brother, leaving the two Hayes to stand in silence. Donald eyed his daughter with a knowing look as she tried to put up an appearance of innocence. He knew the look well despite not having seen it in many years. He snorted and shook his head.

"How much did you hear?"

She gave a sheepish smile before she answered. "From where you said Rick hadn't answered the why."

Chuckling, Donald turned his head to look out the window once more. "I suppose it's time we both sat down and talked. If you want to that is."

Lisa saw the look on her father's face and sighed. He was right.

"I agree."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Commander Lazy. How you feeling? Must be nice lying around, doing nothing as usual." A teasing voice Roy knew well sounded through the ward. He glanced over and saw his three favorite people making their way to him, Pop's face shining with happiness that he was awake. Roy groaned as he shifted into a better sitting position, wincing in pain from his still healing injuries.

"Sorry Pop. Didn't think you'd find me here." He tried to joke, but it came out strained. Damn, he must have really done a number to himself. Pop smirked and put on a mock threatening look as he motioned with two fingers to his eyes.

"Oh, you see, I am so onto you." He intoned, the smirk on his face giving away the game. Rick snorted as it had been a favorite saying between the pair when Roy was younger and usually got hurt doing something stupid. Beside him, Claudia shook her head at the byplay between father and son.

"How are you feeling Roy?"

"Like someone turned me into a pin cushion." He replied to Claudia's question. The three visitors gathered by the side of his bed as he winced once more.

"Yeah. It tends to happen when your wing explodes." Pop dryly explained. Roy grimaced. So much for his perfect record of never having been shot down. "They pulled enough metal out of you to replate the whole damn ship it seemed."

Roy ducked his head, he knew it must have scared the hell out of Pop, not to mention how likely it was that it gave Claudia a heart attack. He reached blindly for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze once he found it. The young woman gave a reassuring smile as she looked down upon him.

"I'm fine Roy. Yes, you did scare me, but I knew you'd be okay." She answered all of his questions regarding her state of mind when he was out.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Claudia." His normally cheery voice was filled with regret. He took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I think that fight was my last. Doctors told me I had some serious damage to my knee and will probably need a cane to walk from now on."

The three shared a look before Rick gave an uncomfortable cough, catching his brother's attention. "Captain Gloval had similar thoughts Roy. He was hoping you'd become a tactics instructor if it came down to it."

Roy blinked in surprise before he slowly nodded, the idea having some merit to him. "Tactics instructor huh? Could be a good option. Why not flight instructor?"

"Because that's going to be me." Pop grunted, surprising all three of them. "They assigned me as a basic flight instructor and I plan to ask Henry for a decent pilot to teach the more advanced stuff those transformers you youngsters drive are capable of."

"What do you say Rick? Sound like a good job?" Roy laughed, expecting his brother to quite possible go for it. He'd been saying for months now that it was hard for old school pilots like himself to learn to fight in space properly, and how long it took for the pilots aboard to get the hang of the other modes the Veritech was capable of.

"I've already been reassigned Roy. And not as an instructor." He looked uncomfortable as he tried to word his thoughts. "Captain Gloval, well he, uh, he placed me as Skull One and CAG for the ship." He closed his eyes expecting an explosion of some sort from Roy. What his brother said next surprised him.

"That's great Rick. In fact, I can't think of anyone else I'd trust in my old position."

"You're, you're not upset?"

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" Roy asked curiously. "You're a great pilot and a damn good leader Rick. You earned your position otherwise the Old Man wouldn't have asked you to take it. I'm actually relieved it's you. What is he doing with your old Squadron?"

"Max is getting it and Ben is going to stick with him until it's time for him to command one."

"Wait. What about Dixon? He could teach those more advanced tactics." Claudia looked at their surprised faces and felt confused. "What? He did a great job leading those nuggets during the last attack."

"That's actually a great idea." Rick remarked as Roy nodded his head in agreement. Pop hummed as his mind mulled over the idea. His sons had an eye for talent and the fact that this Dixon character had been flying with Rick for some time, maybe he would be an excellent choice.

"I'd like to look over his flight records. Could always use the experience as a teaching tool. Though I'm sure the other instructors are going to wonder why they are going to be replaced."

"Many of them haven't been in combat with the Zentradi. Everything they do is by the book or how we do things in atmosphere. They're good pilots, but they aren't well versed in what these machines are truly capable of." Roy commented, settling into a comfortable position. "I say put them in a simulator against Dixon. That'll defeat any kind of argument they make."

"Alright. I'd like to meet the guy today and go over a few things with him before I take this idea to Henry. Any idea where he'll be?"

All three shared a look before they smirked at Pop, answering as one. "Check the Steakhouse."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa watched her father as his eyes seemed to become unfocused, distant. She cocked her head to the side, trying to discern just what he was thinking. It had been many years since she had last shared a meal with the man who had, for a brief period, become an enigma to her. She would freely admit she had done nothing to shrink the vast gulf that had sprung between them since the passing of her mother. The woman had been the glue that had held them together for so long, had been the reason her father had smiled and laughed when she was younger. The pain of losing her had affected both differently and yet the same. Where she wanted the comfort her father had shown before, he distanced himself, throwing his whole being into fighting back the darkness that had taken her from both Lisa and Donald. He never would admit it, but Lisa knew it was in part of how much she looked like her late mother. That didn't excuse what had happened, but understanding made it easier for her to deal with her father's distant attitude. It had only been a month or so before the SDF-1 had made it's fated fold that they had begun the process to mend the bond of father and daughter. It wasn't fully healed, but it was well on the way to becoming as strong as it had been, if not stronger.

Donald's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings as he held the mug of coffee between his rough hands, the warmth and aroma soothing his inner turmoil. Before him, his daughter waited for him to speak, a patience she had adopted as a teenager when his mind seemed to be miles away, fighting some battle in his memory. Lisa favored her tea, a trait she had gotten from her mother, especially when the tea parties the pair had when she was younger had introduced the young six year old to the best thing she had ever tasted. He snorted in humor as the memory played out, his little girl barely six with her hair done up in a pair of pigtails, her eyes wide in appreciation as she held the small cup in her equally small hands.

"Still a tea drinker." He commented.

Lisa nodded her head, her small smile making his heart constrict, as his mind, the part that seemed to always be prepared for the worst, committed each moment he spent with her into memory.

"Well, most days." She mused. "Though I seem to need a caffeine boost in the mornings."

"Amen to that." Donald saluted with his own cup before sipping the brew, a nod of appreciation being given. He hesitated, memories of his late wife swimming to the forefront of his mind. "I remember the first time you even tried tea. The look of pure bliss on your face was one of the most adorable things I had ever seen for a six year old."

Lisa flushed as her own mind called upon an old memory.

"I remember I told you tea was the drink of the Gods." She smiled as Donald let out a genuine laugh.

"Yes. And if I'm not mistaken, you said your mother had better tastes in drinks than I did."

"To be fair father, anything with sugar in it will gain a child's acceptance."

Donald paused before he grinned sheepishly, that thought had never occurred to him. "Touche. But you seem to have gained an appreciation for the more refined early morning drink."

She merely stared, her mouth twitching in ill hidden humor.

"Like you always said, no one can survive in a command position with out coffee." She snorted as she raised the cup to her lips. "Rick seems to run on it."

"Really? He seems like the kind of man that has boundless energy." His eyes caught the flush of her cheeks and the slight glazing of her eyes. He could have sworn he heard her mutter something along the lines of 'isn't that the truth.' He narrowed his eyes before he gave a mental shudder. Somethings about his daughter's relationship he could live without knowing. Intimacy with her love was high on that list. Though his tone seemed to convey he caught on to what she had been thinking about as he spoke. "Moving on. He seems like a good man. Thankfully not as cocky as his father."

Lisa gave a reproachful look at his statement before she spoke. "Really, because according to his father, you were the cocky one."

Donald opened his mouth, his look was of outrage at that statement before he closed his mouth and gave a grunt, at least admitting he was a bit cocky himself in his youth. His sipped his coffee, pursing his lips as a comfortable silence developed between them. The only sounds in the room came from the ticking clock on the wall, showing the hour drew late. He'd need to leave soon but not before he finally said what had been on his mind, something he regretted not saying sooner.

"Lisa, I'm sorry I wasn't the best Father for you." His voice was remorseful as his eyes grew misty. "I should have been there for you more when you were a child. Instead, I turned my focus to the service. It will be the one thing I regret to my dying day."

"Father...Dad, you did what you had to do." Her change in title of him brought a warm smile to his face as a tear escaped down his cheek. It had been a long time since she'd called him Dad instead of father. "I understand why you did. Looking at me, it must have been painful with how much I look like mom."

"Don't think that. Don't ever say that."

Lisa recoiled in surprise from the sudden heat in her father's voice and met his eyes. They shined with a strange mixture of regret and pride.

"I didn't distance myself because you look like your mother." He scolded. "I kept my distance because I knew nothing of how to be a good father. I turned to the military, what I knew best, to help me cope. I wanted you to be stronger than me, to be better than me. I didn't want you to ever see me weak or broken. I thought, at the time, it was the best possible course of action. Instead, it was the worst thing I ever did."

Donald struggled to keep the emotions from choking him as a pain he thought long buried erupted in a fiery inferno, burning him from the inside. He needed to get this off his chest, to make peace with Lisa, with his little girl.

"You're right though. You are just as beautiful as your mother. Just as sharp too." Lisa couldn't help but flush at his praise and felt a sense of pride rush through her. "You are also much stronger than me. I hide myself in my work to bury it all. You struck out a path for yourself. I can't tell you how proud I was in you the day you graduated from the Academy. Or the pride I felt when you were selected as part of the bridge crew for the fleet flagship. But nothing will compare to the day I watched you in that council chamber and you took those arrogant window lickers to task."

"Dad." Her tone slightly warning, informing him that his derogatory statement was not acceptable. Seems he had spent too much time with the Marines who seemed to favor that term for the dim witted amongst them. He waved her off and continued.

"The fact is Lisa, you have accomplished so much. And so much of it I missed out on. In no small part thanks to my pride. I failed you as a father, and for that, I am sorrier than you could imagine." His voice became a whisper as his eyes dropped to the floor, the emotions swirling and cooling as he finally acknowledged them instead of simply pushing them deeper into his mind.

Lisa was rooted to her seat, her mind abuzz as she processed what her father had just told her. To see him lay his soul bare, it was unnerving. Here was a man who she had thought, admittedly with some childhood awe, was invincible. A tough taskmaster that showed no regret, nor any emotion outside of what the situation deemed. He had been a mountain in her eyes, unyeilding, unbending to any who crossed his path. Seeing the raw emotions play across his face as he spoke, it shattered that image in her mind. Instead, she saw a broken man who had spent that last decade and a half running from his pain. And just like the shock of a broken bone wearing off, the pain had been doubly worse than it should have. It surprised her to feel vindication at his admission, to see him feel the pain he had left her to come to terms with on her own. A small, selfish part of her wanted him to feel that pain everyday of his life until Death came looking for him. She ruthlessly suppressed those petty thoughts and dropped to her knees beside her father, her tea forgotten on the coffee table. Donald took a shaky breath and his eyes met his daughter's once more as she gave her own sad smile.

"It's okay." She took a deep breath, her own hot tears welling up as she mustered her resolve. "I forgive you." She whispered.

He reached out, hesitantly, and pulled his daughter into a tender hug, feeling the walls he built long ago break down and for the first time in years, Donald Hayes wept in sorrow, holding onto the last of his family.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick eased himself into the briefing room for Skull, feeling awkward as he made his way to the podium. Every eye was on him, every squadron commander waiting patiently for him to get started. He took a deep breath, pushing his nerves away as he looked to a familiar face leaning against the door jam behind them all. He let out a breath and steeled himself, gripping his hands around the edges of the podium.

"Good morning." He coughed and mentally urged himself on. "As you all know, Captain Gloval has assigned me as your overall commander. I know many of you had hoped Commander Fokker would would be back. I can tell you right now, I wish that were the case."

He looked around the room, seeing the steady gazes reflected right back at him.

"But that's not going to happen. I plan to make sure the faith placed in me isn't wasted. We are the best in the fleet, and rightly so. We've been fighting these Zentradi for over a year now. We are the hardened warriors that our people need, whether they want to admit it or not. Each of you know what we have to face. I can see no finer fighters anywhere but right here, on this ship. I trust each of you with my life. We all know what is expected of us here."

The nods of approval around the room infused him with more confidence, bolstering his own by miles.

"With that said, the plan of the day." He shifted his stack of papers around and pulled the CAP schedule forth. "With repairs done to the Daedalus, command will be rushing to get us airborne and off the planet as soon as physically possible. We'll be continuing with our standard rotations with the change of our alert posture. First up, Vermilion will have first run of the track. Lieutenant Sterling, I leave the choice of which three will run the starting laps."

"You got it Skipper." The bispecticaled man nodded his understanding of his orders.

"Green will relieve Vermilion, followed by Red, then Blue. Skull will take the last." He paused and looked around the room. "All CAP landings will be combat landings, so make sure you don't miss the trap. Any questions?" He looked once more around the room and saw none. He figured this was one of those instances where they wanted to see how well he'd handle himself in the long run and were going to let things play out for now. Rick nodded to himself and dismissed his men, sighing as he tried to relax his nerves. He almost missed Captain Gloval walking over to him, his face devoid of any emotion and unnerving the young CAG. Rick snapped to and gave a sharp salute that the Captain returned.

"You call that a command speech?" He questioned in a flat tone. "You didn't shout or threaten them."

Rick prepared himself for what he guessed was a rather heated correction given by the Captain, but was caught of guard by his smirk. "That was a well done speech Commander Hunter."

The young man let out a sigh of relief and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks sir. It feels weird to be the one giving the orders for the whole wing." He shook his head, as if banishing a thought. "But I was honest with them."

Henry nodded approvingly, his ever trusty pipe making it's way to his mouth. Rick watched as he lit the pipe and took a short drag from it. The Captain turned his gaze back to Rick, a seriousness permeating from the man.

"Commander, as you know we have been ordered to leave the planet with all the civilians on board." Seeing Rick's scowl and sharp nod, Henry continued, sensing the disgust the younger man felt at their 'orders'. "I too am not happy with them. However, we have a plan to off load them before we leave."

"Sir? Wouldn't that be a direct violation of our orders?" Rick smirked tapping his chin in thought. "Unless of course we suffer some kind of emergency that requires a ship wide evacuation, then I can't see any reason to protest."

Henry smirked, seeing that the young man seemed to have an idea of what he had planned, though with his relationship to Commander Hayes, it made sense he'd know something was up.

"Indeed. I must inform you that our course will cross near the Ontario Quadrant." He puffed the pipe and opened his mouth to speak before a sharp alarm blared followed by a synthesized voice.

"Use of tobacco products is prohibited outside of designated areas. Please extinguish your tobacco."

Henry scowled as he took another drag and began tapping a few keys on the nearby wall panel. The alarm cut off as Henry gave a victorious smirk as the voice rang out once more.

"Command override accepted. Smoke sensors offline."

Rick couldn't help the chuckle at the Captain's actions as the older man turned his attention to him. "As I was saying, with our flight path, I feel that perhaps an increase in airborne fighters would be a good idea to help keep our vector clear of civilian traffic."

Rick smirked. "Yes sir. We'll be ready."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Henry entered the bridge, a smug smile playing across his face. The supplies had barely been stowed before he was given his official orders to leave and not return until such time the security council deemed it possible. He had remained silent as Donald relayed them to him, though the Admiral had looked disgusted as he read the vile document sealing the fate of the vessel and the 56,000 civilians and close to twenty thousand members of the RDF that would be cosigned to exile. Admiral Hayes promised Henry he would be attempting to push for a more diplomatic solution with the Zentradi, but also felt that they needed to finish the Grand Cannon on the chance peace did not work. Henry had remained silent through the meeting, merely nodding that he had received the orders, though Donald would be sure to pass on that he did so in silent protest, not realizing that the Russian was thinking ten steps ahead in his plan to defy the council. The sounds of the consoles and the hive of activity greeted him as he entered, avoiding the hatch had grown to be a rare occurrence for the tall man. But, just as he had when he was a submariner, he would simply have to be more mindful of the opening.

"Report."

"All civilian traffic is clear sir. Vermilion has launched and is beginning their patrol." Lisa was the first to speak as was expected.

"All navigation and engine systems are on stand by. Reactor is running at fifty percent."

"RDF control has cleared is for launch sir!"

Henry nodded as both Claudia and Vanessa called out their reports, his eyes scanning the main display as the rest of the department heads called in their own ready status.

"Very well. Commander Grant, engage secondary thrusters. Once we have reached sufficient altitude, engage the primary engines. Is our course laid in for the Ontario Quadrant?"

"Yes sir. Helm is programmed and ready. Bringing secondary fusion engines online. Firing."

Outside the massive fortress, dozens of starbursts flared to life, kicking up a massive plume of snow and soil as the heat from the thrusters bit deeply into the frozen earth, blasting chunks of partially melted rocks and other debris outwards from her keel. With a surprising grace, the majestic vessel rose vertically into the overcast sky, the flare of the engines casting harsh shadows as it became the brightest object in the vicinity. Her rise was slow, yet fluid as the altitude ticked up above five thousand. Her massive fusion engines flared a brilliant cool blue, nudging the vessel forward as pockets of fire ignited from her bow thrusters, giving her just enough turn to come to a stable heading that would lead them to Ontario. Henry sent a silent thanks to Doctor Lang's hard work as unlike before, he barely felt the shudders from the engines as they lifted the SDF-1 into the sky. He idly wondered how long it would take command to realize he wasn't on an out bound trajectory and was instead maintaining his course and speed in his chosen direction. It came as no surprise to him when Claudia announced that they had an incoming communication from Command. He nodded for her to put up the transmission link and was momentarily surprised to see Senator Russo, the same rat of a man that had pushed him to launch an untested vessel into combat with barely a fraction of her total supply stores, which was laid at his feet as his office had delayed the full stocking of food and munitions to the vessel.

"Senator. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Henry queried, his voice calm yet his mind had a different wording along the lines of 'What the hell do you want?' The senator frowned at Henry, his right eyebrow twitching with agitation.

 _"Captain Gloval. Why have you not made orbit yet?"_ The little man piratically yelled.

Henry frowned at the image, distaste evident in his eyes.

 _'Because I plan to spite you, you miserable little man.'_ "Senator, as you know, travel into space is exceedingly dangerous if a vessel is not properly sealed." Henry began, his tone still calm. "You are no doubt aware of what can happen if a single hatch is left open."

 _"The Daedalus is completely sealed. Why are you stalling?"_

His patience wearing thin, Henry took a calming breath before he spoke. "Senator, with respect, it is not the Daedalus I am speaking off. We have several failed seal warnings along the starboard midline. I will not take this ship into space until I am sure each and every hatch on this vessel has a proper seal."

Lisa stole a glance at the man, her expression one of confusion and some humor as the Captain had in effect told the miserable little man they had left the car door ajar. Beside her, Claudia tried to keep her face a blank mask, but amusement danced in her eyes having caught the fib the Captain was peddling to the greedy little rat. Russo seemed to falter as his mind ran through the implications of the political fallout should any civilians be unintentional spaced. Civilians they had literally just exiled. It would not go over too well. The frustrated growl only served to increase the feeling of victory for Henry as even Russo would back off long enough to ensure his ratings didn't drop.

 _"You have one hour to fix this glitch Captain. If you don't, you will be forced to leave at gun point if necessary."_

The mask of calm Henry had been wearing fell off like a badly fitted coat as pure fury crossed his face and he rose to his full height, his voice cold and harsh as he spoke.

"Do not think you can threaten me. I have fought in battles that would cause you to soil your trousers. I have combated an entire armada of alien warships and have won time and time again." Henry growled. "Do not make threats Senator. Right now, I have the bigger stick. Unless you wish to test the power of this ship, I suggest you remain content with the minor victory our exile brings you. End transmission Commander."

The outraged face of the Senator snapped off and Captain Gloval pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that little toad would indeed be rushing to his allies to force the SDF-1 off the planet. They had to make this pit stop quickly, though how he would justify the ship setting down, he had no idea.

"What is our time to Ontario?"

"At present speed, thirty minutes sir. Any faster and we run the risk of over heating the primary engines. As you know sir, they weren't meant to operate above thirty percent thrust in an atmosphere."

Henry nodded, fully understanding as the massive engines did produce a massive amount of waste heat. The only way to adequately cool the engines at their full output and keep them operating with in optimal temperature thresholds was the near absolute zero of the hard vaccum of space. Not to mention the danger of structural failure should they attempt to throttle the mighty fortress to top speed inside of an atmosphere. Even as aerodynamic as she may be, she had nearly torn herself apart during her first uncontrolled decent at high speeds, which had to a degree, weakened her bones.

"Very well." He sighed and lowered his fit frame into the rather comfortable command chair. "Alert the civilian leaders. I want all civilian personnel ready to disembark in twenty minutes."

He vaguely heard their confirmation to his orders as he silently pleaded for this to go smoothly, and that the Zentradi didn't decide to come knocking. There was no margin for error in timing for him. If they missed this window, it could be disastrous. He would think back to those thoughts hours later, and bitterly come to the conclusion he hadn't anticipated the disaster it had been.

* * *

 **A/N: The mention of Guam? Yeah, that's based on a real incident. I had been aboard ship for a few months and we stopped off there for a few days. Well, I ran into a buddy of mine, Navy Corpsmen I deployed with and he dragged me off to what he called the Tower of Sin. Well, me and him were having fun and I started hitting on what I thought had been a woman. Turns out I was completely and utterly wrong. The worst part, Doc knew it was guy but didn't say anything. Well, when the pants came off, I was heading out of the room as fast as I could and laid Doc out when he told me he knew she was a he. So yeah, always be sure before you open the package. And the window licker thing? We used that when some one acted like a complete idiot, as in surprised he can even speak. So, hope you liked it and if you'd kindly check out my little RoboTech vid on youtube I made, I'd be appreciative. I've had the footage for years but never a song to put it to until I came across the Skillet Album Unleashed. I'm in love with Jen Ledger...**

 **Here's the link:** **/ watch?v = 1ieyBSP7r2w &t = 101s (without spaces guys.)**

 **Please drop a review! Action is coming next chapter with Bursting Point and a marriage!**


	13. Chapter 13 Tides of Battle

**A/N: Finally, we have gotten to an action chapter! Not so much filler as the last couple. More fighty, less talky! This chapter has a few OC's, at least in personality for one of them! This chapter is more of a combination of Battle Hymn, Reckless, some of Wedding Bells. I honestly had a fun time writting this chapter and have put some humor back into the story, which you'll see later on! This chapter actually came easy to me as I wrote it, mostly the big fight scenes! We'll also see some character growth for one or three people. Now, I did get a PM asking about Minmei. I really have nothing against her, she's a girl who was growing up in the series and had her obvious flaws, but her attitude and actions (Or lack there of prior to the two year timeskip in the series) agitate me. Especially as Rick bounced around like adamn tennis ball after Call to Arms every time she felt he was slipping towards Lisa. Seriously? He went from 'I love Lisa' to 'I love Minmei' so often, I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash! Her mixed signals were truely aggravating. And let's not talk about dating her cousin...I have family in Kentucky and Tennessee so I'll leave off the jokes about banjos. Anyway, She'll play her part with the singing deal in the chapters to come, which means she will have an important part to play. Well, on with the chapter!**

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Chapter 13 Tides of Battle

Henry found himself constantly checking the chronometer attached above the expansive bay windows that gave an awe inspiring view of the majestic bow of the SDF-1. Normal, the rather romantic view soothed his mind and calmed his soul when circumstances sent him on a whirlwind journey through an emotional ocean. Not that he'd show anything of the sort in a dangerous situation, far from it. It was these times, when the hands of fate began to move, shifting pieces across the board in the blind game of chess called life. For every move he made, his opponents seemed to make three. For every decision he made, his foes counted with gusto. He knew he should be feeling elated that he would be accomplishing one small victory against the Council, instead, he felt unease. He felt as if there was a punch heading towards his head, one he could not see. And this made the normally unshakable man uneasy. Not hearing any word from Command after his rather heated conversation with Senator Russo had only increased his worry.

"Commander Grant, has there been any word on the command frequencies?"

The woman manning the helm gave a shrug as she answered, her face reflecting the worry Henry felt. "Quite a bit of encoded chatter. Mostly between Admiral Marcus's squadron in orbit and Headquarters."

Henry hummed thoughtfully as his fingers laced between themselves, the shadows covering most of his face. _'What will you do Alex. Surely, Command has informed you of the situation. Will you follow their demands or lend a hand?"_

"Captain! Emergency flash message from Alaska Base!" Kim called out, her fingers dancing across the keys as she entered her authorization code to decode the transmission. "Oh!"

"Lieutenant Young, what is it? What does it say?" The captain turned to the young woman, rising from his seat upon seeing her face become pale. It took his five long steps to reach her console and two seconds for his mind to freeze and his eyes to widen. Kim gulped, her voice shaky as she read the flash message for the benefit of the rest of the bridge crew.

"To all Defense Force Units. SDF-1 is in violation of direct orders. All Defense Force Assets are ordered to the Ontario Quadrant to effect an immediate escort of the SDF-1 away from Civilian population centers and into high Earth Orbit. If SDF-1 does not comply..." Her voice trailed off as she took a shuddering breath. "If SDF-1 does not comply, use of lethal force is authorized."

The only sounds in the room were those from the computers and the low rumble given off by her massive engines. Lisa's hand covered her mouth, her face a rolling change between shock, anger, and fear. Claudia herself was looking towards the young Kim, her mouth agape as the remainder of the Trio were wide eyed and disbelieving. Henry narrowed his eyes and his hands gripped the back of the young woman's chair tightly, his anger beginning to boil.

"So. That is how they want to play it." He muttered, his knuckles whitening from his tight grip. "Very well. Commander, what is our time to arrival?"

Claudia blinked for a moment before she closed her mouth and turned to her display, her fingers dancing across her control board furiously. "Fifteen minutes sir. It'll take almost twenty to off load the civilians."

Henry nodded to himself as he released his grip on the chair and paced toward the operations console that Lisa manned, his hand rubbing his chin in thought. Lisa looked to the man, worry on her face as she spoke. "Sir...what do we do? If we stay..."

"We'll be forced to fight our own." He finished her statement with a depressed tone. "Yes. I am aware of that."

"Captain, incoming transmission from The Dauntless! It's Admiral Marcus sir!"

"Put it on screen." Henry looked to the main display as it clicked over the image of an older man with pale skin from his lack of exposure to sun light. Admiral Alexander Marcus gave Henry an amused smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest, his voice calm as he spoke. "Henry. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

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"Radar jamming appears to be working sir." Grel reported as he handed his Commander his combat helmet. "There is no indication the Micronians even know we're on the planet."

Khyron's smile seemed to have a predatory tint to it as he accepted and donned his helmet, the seals hissing into place and the on board oxygen supply filling his suit with pure O2. He'd over heard Azonia and Miriya's little plan to place the disgraced warrior onto the ship so she could have her revenge. And he would have his. He knew Breetai would be furious once Azonia pushed her failing onto him for the Fortress making it planet side. But he had a clever plan to fix her mistake.

"Very good. Remain in this potion until I call for you. The intelligence provided by the spy element shows these Micronians care a great deal about their miserable little planet and these 'civilians' they call their non warrior kin. If we attack close to this population center they are nearing, they shall more than likely take to space, avoiding any major confrontation until they clear the atmosphere." Khyron took his seat and Grel moved to secure his harness that would prevent the deranged man from bouncing around inside his pod. "Once we have them with their back to the gravity well, we shall board the vessel in force and finally take what is ours."

Grel grinned viciously as he saluted his commander. "May victory finally be ours."

Khyron sealed his pod as his most trusted officer marched off to the command deck, reading the five ship flotilla for battle as Khyron moved his command pod to the fore of the throngs of battle ready pods, his anticipation mounting.

"Prepare to launch on my command."

The pods around him rose to their full height, ammunition sliding into place in each of their auto cannons while his own munitions locked in the ready position, his reflex cannons glowing an eerie blue as the energy inside built to the required level. His pod hummed as the reactor ramped up it's output, almost as if it were ready to charge off into glory on it's own. Khyron smiled darkly as the timer on his console ticked by, the final count taking an eternity to him. Once his screen flashed green, he gave the order and hundreds of pods launched themselves into the darkening sky, the engines glowing a pale blue as they made way to the annoying battlefortress. This time, Khyron would have his victory he had been denied for so long.

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"Admiral." Henry greeted, his eyes narrowed as the image of the man merely smiled. "I apologize for my bluntness, but are you friend or foe?"

Alexander sighed and gave Henry a knowing look, his smile faltering. "You know I have orders to force you off planet Captain."

Henry merely raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed as he waited patiently to hear what the Admiral had to say on his orders, where he would plant his feet so to speak. The Admiral gave Henry a flat look before speaking, his tone resigned.

"That being said, I will not be a party to a war crime. Off load your civilians as quickly as you can."

Henry almost let out a relieved sigh, instead he gave a sharp nod as the Admiral turned to look towards someone off screen. His relief was cut short as he watched surprise cycle onto the man's face before he snapped his gaze back to Captain Gloval.

"Captain, we have a visual on multiple enemy units not even ten minutes south west of you."

Henry snapped his eyes to Lisa, who was already tapping in her commands, looking for the enemy forces. "Sir, our scopes are being jammed! Visual confirmation on four squadrons of mixed Zentradi Forces!"

"Oder Skull to intercept! And find out where they came from!"

"Captain, we can see four low tonnage vessel and one mid tonnage holding position in the Kootenay Rockies. Smart bastards aren't they?" Alex asked sarcastically as he checked his own displays. "With that jamming going on, we'd run a real risk of hitting the city."

Henry nodded, his mind going over his options at near light speed. He couldn't risk a fight over the city as it would be a risk to the innocents on the ground. And Admiral Marcus was in a likewise poor position as any missiles they'd fire would more than likely slam into the small city. It was a rock and a hard place for him. He could try to off load the civilians, but he'd be a sitting duck. A rather large sitting duck. And if he took off into space where he had a real chance to fight and beat back these aliens, he'd be unable to return and let the refugees off the ship as the flash message made it clear he would be fired upon by the Ground to space reflex missiles. And that would more likely than not kill scores of the refugees. With resignation washing over him, Henry gave the only order he could. Two million souls versus 56,000...it wasn't even debatable in his warrior mind. Not that he had a choice in the matter.

"Alert the civilians to report to disaster shelters. Make to orbit Commander Grant." He locked his gaze on the angry red icons appearing on the tactical screen, each having been painted by close range visual designatiors. "Action stations."

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Admiral Marcus steepled his fingers, resting them against his lips as the lights in the command center dulled to a dim red, the blast door sliding into place and sealing the bridge off from the rest of the ship. His fine mind went over every detail the raw data was spewing forth, trying to find some edge he could use to buy the SDF-1 time to get those poor souls off the ship.

"Enemy contacts approaching! Bearing one-five-five by zero-two-four. Range, ten thousand kilometers!"

"They must be going after the SDF-1." His brow furrowed as the display kicked over and displayed the approach of fifteen enemy capital ships, all mid tonnage vessels. All holding more firepower than his little squadron of nine ships. They still hadn't managed to rebuild the fleet to what it had been a year prior. His eyes never left his screen as he began barking orders. "Deploy all fighters, mirror formation relative to attack angle. Stand by all defensive systems. Time to weapons range?"

"Forty-five seconds for extended torpedo lock. Twenty-one for hard lock for primary battery."

Alex knew he needed to even the odds against them and watched as the enemy formation began to reform into a loose semi circle, trying to arrange their ships for a clear firing line. His own ships were clustered into a three dimensional pyramid with his own flagship sitting center of the nine ship formation. He looked over his own formation with a critical eye. While his own command, call sign Armor Six, had been designed to fight vessels nearer the SDF-1's own tonnage, they had turned out to be severely underarmed to combat the larger than expected alien craft currently bearing down on them. They had been armed with a single battery holding five large particle cannons, two high rate Reflex launchers, six triple-barreled laser turrets for sustained ship to ship combat, and twenty-four point defense laser turrets to fend off any enemy single ships that dared to come close. Sadly, while the designers had made logical and sensible estimates at what they could expect should the aliens come calling, they hadn't been sensible enough. They had lost four ARMD class carriers in the initial battle over a year ago. While his own command could possibly handle the smaller enemy vessels with some ease, the Oberth-class destroyers were woefully out matched and outgunned. A single Oberth, while well armed in it's own right, only carried four particle guns and eighteen rather oversized anit-capital ship missiles. Against one or two mid tonnage enemy ships, he'd be able to blow them right out of the sky. Staring down fifteen such enemy vessels, it was more than likely he would be the one turned into ashes.

He checked his display, noting ten of the contacts had been relabeled as low tonnage vessels, frigate analogues he mused, while the cruisers still remained the biggest threat. But he could possibly win this fight, if he did this correctly. He'd need to use the strengths of his own forces to hammer into the weak points of the aliens. His strengths? The Oberths while not as heavily armed as the Dauntless, were quick and agile for their size. His own ship's main battery and high rate of missile fire were also trump cards. The aliens weakness? The larger, bulkier mass of their ships hindered their turning ability, so a sufficiently fast attacker could slip past them and could hit them on their rear flank, hopefully doing sufficient damage to at least mission kill them. Alex tapped a few keys, and high lighted the cruisers holding the center of the enemy formation, with one trailing behind the others and designated them Alpha One through five. The smaller vessels he labeled Bravo One through ten. He ran a quick check on his odds, wincing as the results seem to be near the same each time. This wasn't going to be a fun fight.

"Destroyers, four ship formation. Blow through enemy lines and hit them from behind. Helm, ahead flank speed. Weapons, target primary battery on Alpha 3, reflex missiles target bravo four and bravo seven. Secondary batteries, prepare for dual broadside." he barked out, his tactical display feeding him real time data. "Execute!"

He wasn't going to sit back and let these bastards run roughshod over them or harm another human being. Damned what the council wanted. This was war, and he planned to fight back.

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The veritechs of the SDF-1's air wing screamed into the darkening sky, a massive metal cloud of over one hundred warriors rode towards the enemy. In the lead slot of the formation, Rick darted a glance at his tac display, eyeing the solid red wall that seemed to be rushing at him. His features were set in a grim visage.

"All fighters, enemy confirmed at twelve." He gripped his controls tightly and ready himself for what was looking to be a slug fest. "Follow your individual orders. Skull, form up on my wing."

The massive flying wedge broke into a dozen distinct groups, each moving a rather modest distance from each other and bringing themselves to bare on the alien wave that was screaming their direction. Rick eased his throttle forward, his squadron falling into position in a staggered formation.

"Roll on them!" Rick ordered, triggering his guns as the lead elements of the enemy formation came into range.

The lead craft rolled sharply out of the way, and for one fleeting second, Rick felt he had recognized that specific pod before his attention was pulled back to the fight as a Gnerl screamed at him, missiles blasting from their housings. The human fighter rolled and banked hard to his left, the missiles unable to match the move and shattered under the stress of their attempted high speed turn. Rick spotted an enemy pod that was rushing his way, the arms glowing a dangerous blue. He didn't give the alien time to fire and planted a burst into the glass porthole and popped over the now falling enemy craft. He listened with half an ear to the com chatter, chasing down another enemy fighter with three more latching onto his six o'clock. His hands danced over his controls, nimbly keeping himself from becoming Swiss cheese as the fighter he was tailing made a fatal flaw of trying to outrun Rick instead of keeping in the turning fight and the engine block exploded as his rounds bit deeply through the protective metal plates. A quick check in his mirror showed that a fourth had rolled in, the four aliens trying desperately to bring him down. With a smirk, Rick grabbed the G mode control and pulled the selector down.

"Let's see you follow this!"

The fighter began to shift, it's wings extending to provide lift through the change as the engines dropped down and slung forward, slowing his forward momentum as he cut back on the throttle. The fighters soared past as the tucked in arms of the morphed fighter came to life, gripping the gun pod in one hand, the rattle of the rounds tearing from the barrel muffled by the sound dampners built into the cockpit. The tracers swept through the sky, dropping two aliens in quick succession as the other two attempted to bank out of his view. Not allowing them to run, Rick applied pressure to his left pedal, rotating the still coasting veritech enough to get a dual lock on his missile system. Twin plumes of smoke and fire took flight from his wings, the high speed explosives having no trouble keeping up with the alien craft as they tried to split in two different directions in an attempt to evade the missiles. One of his missiles closed into range, the proximity sensor triggered and detonated the explosive in the nose of the missile. The resulting explosion slammed into the rear of the alien fighter as shrapnel perforated the engine block, shredding the fusion system's fine controls and sending a pulse of the energy back into the reactor, the fighter turning into another brilliant fireball. The second missile over took it's prey as the alien attempted to slow, trying to let the missile overshoot. For a split second, the pilot felt victorious as the missile passed him on the left. Right before the detonator triggered, shattering the cockpit glass. The now dead stick spiraled downward, impacting into the mountains below.

The human fighters merged fully with the enemy fighters, vengeful warriors howling for blood as they began the deadly dance with the Zentradi. The bolstered number of the human air wing was showing its advantage as the Zentradi came to the conclusion that when evenly matched, they were at a lethal disadvantage in atmosphere. The human fighters, designed primarily as atmospheric fighters, brought the best elements from every late generation jet fighter. Years of training and war had honed these beings into a frighteningly good fighting force. Many Zentradi fell before the might of the human war machines, either through arrogance or ignorance. But the Zentradi were giving as much as they got. With the two forces balanced out, it wasn't long before human fighters began to fall. A fighter would burst into flames while banking away from a kill. A pilot would misjudge his target and end up colliding with a stray pod. In one unfortunate case, two Veritechs collided during the chaotic air battle.

Max was cutting a swath through enemy fighters, joining Ben as the man engaged four targets in a turning dog fight. He employed his stall maneuver he had used to great effect some time ago, his Veritech spiraling around and catching three fighters in one deft turn. The steak fueled man didn't hesitate, shifting his hybrid craft back into it's fighter mode and screamed down on two battlepods trying to tag team one of Vermilion's rookies. With the ferocity of an eagle diving on it's prey, Ben changed right to battloid, dropping between the two pods and triggered his gun pod while in free fall, catching the twin pods through the canopy as they looked down to see just what had fallen past. Rick watched in amazement as the humanoid fighter changed once more and rocketed toward the ground at full afterburner before pulling back sharply and basting into a ten fighter formation, his lasers and gun pod ripping them to pieces, Rick likening it as a wolf among the sheep.

Where as Ben's fight was nothing short of a brutal brawl, Max's was elegant and deadly. Twisting his fighter around, Max let loose with four missiles, spearing the enemy units trying to out flank them. Max kicked his fighter into full throttle, the blue highlighted veritech melding into the enemy formation as if it had been choreographed. The battlepods scattered out of the way, trying to escape the Blue Death long enough to get a shot off, but Max was not accommodating them. Short, precise bursts turned the fleeing pods into confetti. Rick watched with some envy as Max shifted his fighter and spun, tagging two missiles that had been streaking towards him, the explosions claiming another Gnerl that had made the mistake of flying in that particular direction.

None of them noticed a heavily armed pod weaving between the mountains, headed towards the SDF-1.

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"Are you sure about this Miriya? Azonia is concerned with the operation."

The newly micronized Miriya locked her gaze the the massive Fortress as it loomed into view, it's heading taking it right towards the rather intense air battle ragging over head.

"Not with us. She'll probably kill that fool Khyron, but for once his impulsive nature is actually a boon for us." She commented, with some forced admission. If there was one thing she hated worse than that blasted Blue Death, it was Khyron. If she was very lucky, she'd not only complete her mission but Khyron would die at the hands of these worthy foes. Despite most Zentradi, she had grown to respect these Micronians. They showed courage and a willingness to fight back at who they perceived as an enemy. Truly an impressive people. She banished those thoughts and focused on her mission at hand. It would be one of the hardest she had ever undertaken, but one that would be of the greatest reward to her.

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The Dauntless was dying. Alex groaned as he rose to a sitting position, pain flaring in his ribs and left arm. Sparing a glance, he noted with some detached emotion that his arm was clearly broken, bone pushing through his flesh with blood flowing freely from his wound. The smell of smoke and fire filled his sense of smell as his eyes swept his destroyed bridge, most of his crew were unmoving and probably dead. Others were fighting to regain their footing and save their wounded ship, but Alex knew they'd lose her. His father had always loved boats and had told the young Alex that love kept your boat afloat, made it a home. That she'd tell you when she was hurting. And right now, his ship was dying. The battle had been fierce and he was proud of his men...

Twenty minutes before Alex came to his saddened realization, he had been eyeing his tactical display. The destroyers had split into two groups as he ordered, adopting a wall formation to increase their survival odds, while the Dauntless continued forward, her movement precise and graceful as weapons ports opened and missile tubes vented excess steam from their launch systems. The clock was counting down as the two groups came closer and closer. His fighters had split off, clearing the plane of attack so as to not get caught in the cross fire of the capital ships, one group going upwards relative to the Dauntless, the other going down. The timer ticked by, slowly as Alex gave a silent prayer for strength. When it hit zero, all hell broke loose. Due to their design, the ARMD carrier had the edge in range, and she bared her teeth proudly as her main battery flared to life. A yellow beam of pure energy flashed from between the two rounded points that made up her bow and slammed into the trailing enemy cruiser. The alien armor melted and warped out of place, and unbeknownst to Alex, the beam of energy tore right through her primary weapons control, and into the primary energy capacitor that powered her bow guns. The effect was surprising, but welcome as fires spread at a remarkable rate through out the ship, power conduits exploding along her length as the massive surge generated from the energy weapon back fed directly to the vessel's reactor. The core exploded in a combination of hard radiation and thermal shock that expanded outwards, smashing through bulkheads and crushing the crew. Her hull seemed to expand, gases pushing out with such force that hull plating was expelled form the ship before the shockwave slammed into her bones. With in seconds of the discharge, the vessel turned into a ball of gas, metal, and fire that dissipated a quickly as it blossomed.

The Oberths, engines flaring a brilliant blue as opposed to the magenta glow of the alien drive, barreled through the enemy formation. Alex watched in silence as one unfortunate destroyer, a first production run named after Commander Jim Lovell, took not less than six full barrages from an alien frigate, her hull splitting wide as plasma fires licked over her hull. Alex closed his eyes briefly as the two chucks of ship slammed into the offending frigate, the reflex furnace going critical. The explosion cleared, revealing over a quarter of the alien ship had disintegrated from the explosion. It's engines flared briefly before they sputtered out, her momentum carrying her forward as gasses poured from the gaping hole tore though her.

"Ready full broadside! Launch tubes one through six" Alex barked as they came into range of the enemy fleets own weapons. Thankfully, his guess paid off about that trailing ship. The enemy fleet had faltered for several seconds, precious time needed for the human vessel to pick up the speed she needed to hopefully minimize her exposure to enemy fire. Not to mention that the two enemy warships coming up quickly to her port and starboard had hesitated in bringing their bow guns to bare. Alex knew they had some pretty nasty ship to ship turret packed along their flanks and the destruction of one of his destroyers showed the aliens were just as deadly up close. The Dauntless shot forth, specially designed warheads blasted from their tubes on plumes of compressed steam, their motors igniting once clear and the deadly devices screamed away from her flanks, their targets being two of the enemy frigates closest to them. The conventional warheads packed all the explosive power of a nuclear bomb but lacked the massive EMP generated by those weapons, and the two smaller vessels sustained three direct impacts, blasting through hull armor and ravaging the interior with the concussive blast as the bulk of the detonation was forced into the breached compartments as they were intended. One frigate ballooned alarmingly fast before detonating, damaging one of the four reaming cruisers, the other was sent spinning out of formation, slamming into it's fellow. Admiral Marcus had no time to celebrate as the secondary weapons weapon batteries of the alien cruisers flared to life, energy beams traveling a fraction of lightspeed searing through her titanium alloy hull hotter than any industrial plasma torch. The explosive decompression gave off dull thuds as armor was boiled away from repeated blasts that raked the ship. Damage reports and alarms flared to life as the rate of fire had been greater than he had anticipated. "Fire!"

Six laser turrets spewed hot death, beams of pure destructive power slashing angry red streaks across the hulls of the two cruisers, her CIWS weapons pulsing like strobe lights. The human warship pushed on, blackened holes dotting her flanks and smoke pouring from her wounds. Missiles flashed from their ports and slammed into the two enemy ships, blasting craters and scaring the hulls as the Dauntless flashed past. Alex gripped his command chair as his ship lurched once more, a final blast connecting with his ship as she finished her gauntlet run. His officers began rattling off damage reports before he silenced them. "Save it for after the fight. Ops, signal fighter squadrons to commence attack on the trailing frigates. Order Destroyers to reform on us! Helm, bring us above the enemy fleet, full one hundred and eighty degree rotation to starboard, bow angle positive zero-five-zero. Ahead flank!"

The warship banked slowly as she came about, the Zentradi battle group was already bringing their ships around to swat him from the sky. His own fighter squadrons were diving into the enemy fleet, missiles and tracers flashing through the darkness of space as they swarmed the enemy ships. Multiple explosions flashed into existence as several were caught mid flight by heavy point defense fire. "Status on the main battery?"

"Offline! Last enemy blast caught the main power conduit!"

Alex bit off a curse as the Dauntless began her rotation. He needed to find their blindside. The point where their defenses were the weakest. The wounded vessel soared over the enemy fleet, looking as if she were diving down. Her secondary guns were not silent as she passed, lances of ruby red energy tore through hull armor, and raked across the damaged alien hull. The destroyers added their own firepower to the fray, letting loose their own warheads that seemed to rain down upon the enemy frigates as the Zentradi were trying to counter their move. Two more enemy ships went up as balls of gas, but three of his ships fell prey to one of the cruisers. He was losing this fight.

"Enemy ship targeting us! They're firing!"

Alex slapped the ship wide com on and barked out "All hands! Brace! Brace! Brace!"

That had been the last thing Alex remembered before he'd been thrown from his command chair. He'd come around a few minutes later to the sight of his destroyed Bridge. The shrill alarms and the sounds of screeching metal had told him all he needed to know. He struggled to his feet, gasping in pain as his movement jarred his useless arm. Using his good arm, he managed to get it his command chair as his vision began to blur, blackness forming around the edges of his vision. "Report!"

"Weapons off line, so are sensors. Helm is not responding. Casualty reports coming in from all over the ship." The young ensign gave a frightened look as a nasty shudder passed through the ship and a horrendous noise of ripping metal filled the room.

Alex knew that sound and what it meant. Her keel was breaking and she was slowly tearing herself apart. "Order all surviving ships to disengage, then get yourself to an escape pod son."

The young man swallowed and did as he was ordered while Alex activated the ship wide com, which was thankfully still working. "All hands, abandon ship."

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The SDF-1 pointed her bow skyward, the mighty engines flaring as she gently began her assent to the heavens. Henry checked his status screen, his face calm as the five alien craft began moving into a trail position. He knew they were trying to force him along a plan of their own, but Henry was about done playing by other peoples rules. He ran a few simulations as his mighty vessel rose at a quickening pace. If Admiral Marcus was still holding his position, they could give the Fortress some cover and possibly take out their pursuers. Due to the radar jamming they hadn't been able to ascertain the Admiral's current position, but he was relatively certain they were on the appropriate heading. The massive ship crossed the final cloud layer and the inky blackness of space welcomed them. He was still upset that he had been unable to get the civilians ground side but it had been too dangerous to not only their own lives, but to the innocents that would surely have been caught in the battle. He was broken from his musing when his eyes caught sight of what appeared to be a burning wreck hurtling towards them. In fact, it was a burning wreck streaking towards them, debris tearing loose and leaving a firey trail as it entered Earth's upper atmosphere.

"Evasive maneuvers! All hands, brace for impact!" Henry barked out.

The wreck hurtling towards them turned out to be a Zentradi warship, it's hull riddle with impact points that Henry knew were from weapons fire. A massive rent in the hull caught his eye as the SDF-1 altered it's heading jut enough to avoid trading paint as it flashed by. The trailing Zentradi were not as fortunate as the wreck slammed into the lead vessel, both ships fusing into the most bizarre looking thing Henry had ever seen as the rear camera's locked onto their tail. The abused reactor on the out of control ship finally reached it's limit, detonating in a massive fireball that scorched a third ships hull, melting a few hundred feet of their forward port quarter. Henry blinked as he felt a thrill of amusement at the irony before him, but pushed those thoughts aside as his mind wonder just what the Admiral had been up to.

The sight that greeted him caused his heart to sink. Three surviving Oberth-class destroyers were retreating from what must have been a brutal battle judging by the expanding debris field, trailing smoke as nine Zentradi warships, all sporting some level of damage turned their attention to the proud battlefortress headed directly towards them. Henry didn't hesitate as he saw the hellish glow from their forward guns.

"Barrier to full power!"

The crew snapped to, moving with a speed and finesse that only combat could instill into them. The yellow-orangeish barrier flared to life just in time to save the ship from multiple alpha strikes slammed into the energy barrier. The force of the impacts almost threw Henry to the deck as he fought to remain upright, the girls faring only slightly better than he thanks in no small part to the hand grips installed at their stations. In hindsight, he was glad he had ordered all his fighters to return to the ship, otherwise they'd have been forced to dodge the hellish onslaught as the Zentradi fired again, this time from the remaining four ships that had been trailing them.

"Captain we need to get clear and fast! Several of those ships are in the yellow zone and rapidly approaching red!"

"Commander Grant, full ahead flank. Get us clear!" He ordered. "Target enemy vessels with secondary batteries!"

"We can't sir! The barrier takes too much energy!" Lisa reminded him.

Henry cursed, having forgotten the warning from Emil though it was understandable as the system was still new to him. The mighty ship turned her bow and the engines flared brightly, pushing the vessel onto her new heading as the Zentradi fired another bombardment, putting more stress on the system as they warships closed in on the dangerously glowing fortress, electricity arcing from the failing shields.

"Captain, the barrier is close to overload!" Sammie cried out moments before a bright flash of light filled the bridge.

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Breetai had watched the display intently as the lone battlefortress charged into what should have been the wide gaping jaws of death. While Thuverl Salan-class heavy cruiser was a tough ship to face down, what with it's staggering number of particle beams weapons and strong hull armor, a single vessel would be of little difficulty for the smaller, yet heavier armed Battlefortress. However, four of them with sufficient support were more of a danger. Especially as they had caught the Mirconians with their back to the planet's gravity well. As they watched, a sphere of pure energy surrounded the ship, the Zentradi flotilla still baring down on the lone vessel.

 _'A fold? No...this energy looks..."_ His eyes widened in surprise as his mind realized what he was looking at, but it should be impossible. "A barrier." He breathed.

"An unstable one judging by his appearance." Exedore had commented, fascinated as he watched the remarkable display. His own thoughts were numerous as he contemplated how the Micronians had adapted their original pin point system into what now was a complete bubble around their ship. Maybe these beings had contact with Zor? Perhaps he still lived. That was an unsettling thought for the diminutive Zentradi as he and Breetai walked in silence to the ship. Exedore waited until they were well with in the familiar vessel before he spoke.

"Commander, I feel that we may have made a serious error in judgment."

Breetai frowned as he stopped, turning to the smaller man.

"Explain."

Exedore rubbed his chin thoughtfully before speaking, "While Supreme Commander Dolza seems to be of the mind these Micronians are attacking us with Protoculture based weapons, I find myself very much doubting that assessment."

Breetai nodded his agreement, his own mind having come to that conclusion during the interrogation of the beings, short as it was. Not to mention that Azonia had reported strange reactions among her crew, instances of Micronian like behavior from the signal annalists for example who spent many hours of the day sorting through the numerous transmissions originating from the Micronian planet. Something about them just didn't fit the explanation from Dolza. The barrier for instance, which Dolza had proclaimed must be some sort of super weapon the micronians had developed to slaughter them by the scores. But Breetai had recognized it for what it was. A very early stage in development for an energy based defense system. During the early campaigns with the Invid, the Zentradi and Tirolians had researched barrier type defenses, but with the cloning technology becoming more perfected and the Invid threat dropping off, they never really pushed past the theory stage. That Dolza seemed blind to this similarity worried Breetai that there was another goal here, he just couldn't see it yet.

"You may be correct Exedore. However, any supposition will wait until after we have retrieved our recon team. Once we have heard their report, we will act accordingly." Breetai's frown deepened. "I fear things will become even more difficult before our goal is met."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick flipped through the menu idly, the mood around the ship depressed as they went about their day. The failure to get the civilians off the ship was a black mark on Rick's record, despite what Captain Gloval and Roy had said. They both had been extremely impressed with all of their pilots and did not blame them at all. Roy had rightly told Rick if he wanted to point a finger, then it belong with the Council. And the sad part was, Rick couldn't even fault the Zentradi over his own people! They had expected an attack from the Alien Warriors, but not to be stabbed in the back by the ones they protected. He sighed and put the menu back on the table, having thumbed through it three times already as he waited for his companions to arrive.

"Hey Rick!"

Rick smiled in relief and spotted his former wingman making his way to him, bright red shirt clashing with his hair. The man had an easy grin on his face as he slid into the open chair across from him.

"Hey Max. Where is Ben?" He craned his neck, trying to spot the Steak Fueled one.

"Apparently, he has a date."

Rick snapped his eyes back to Max, both eyebrows shooting up to his hairline in surprise. "Really? Ben has a date?"

Max chuckled and grabbed his own menu, scanning the options.

"Yup. Apparently one of the new pilots he saved yesterday wanted to take him to lunch." Max commented, his attention grabbed by the entree section. "You remember Ensign Williams, right?"

Rick frowned in thought, trying to place a face to a name for several seconds before shaking his head in apology. "Sorry Max. Doesn't ring a bell."

"Brown eyes, red hair? Around five foot two?"

"The one that looks like a gust of wind would blow her away?"

Max nodded, his amused smirk in place. "That's the one. Call sign Deadbolt. Real gift in attack runs."

Rick nodded, recognizing the call sign from before the attack that had wounded Roy. "Well, don't spare the details. How'd he save her? I caught part of his fight and it was amazing. Never seen anyone handle a veritech like that."

"Apparently, he did some kind of battloid free fall and shot two annoying flies off her tail before wiping out a ten ship formation."

"Hey, I saw that part!" Rick exclaimed, cupping his chin with his hand. "I think Roy was right about bringing him on as an Advanced Combat Instructor. If yesterday was any indication, our guys will learn a lot from him!"

Max nodded, his gaze sweeping over the specials, one of which was a honey sariachi burger that sounded pretty good to him. "Still, seeing his face when she asked him...almost looked like he'd been doused in ice water." he chuckled.

"Forget his expression." Rick laughed. "That'll be the oddest couple on the ship with their height alone!"

Both man gave a good laugh as a young woman approached the table, her expression questioning. "And just what are you two children cackling like loons about?"

Rick gave a mischievous smirk, almost bouncing like a little kid in his seat as he pulled the empty seat beside him out for Lisa. "Old Benny boy got himself a date!"

"Oh, you mean Ensign Williams?" Lisa remarked, gracefully setting herself in her chair. "She's a very nice girl. She'd complement Ben well."

Max snorted at the tactful tone Lisa took, understanding the underlying meaning. "You mean reign in his energy levels to a more manageable state."

Lisa gave him a deadpan look before she replied to him.

"He's a fine pilot and a very good friend." She stated, her eyes focusing on her own menu. "His enthusiasm though...well, hopefully she can calm him down."

"Hang on a minute here you two." Rick raised his hands. "We don't know if this is going to be a relationship."

Lisa gave Rick a pitying look. "You poor, foolish man. You still have no clue how a lady reacts when her knight in dented and scorched armor saves her life do you?"

"It's a powerful image in a woman's mind Skipper." He agreed. "After all, you should already know that by now."

Rick grumbled and settled for picking up the menu once more much to the amusement of his two friends. "What is this? Pick on Rick day?

"No. That's next Tuesday." Lisa laughed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"That...was a great burger." Max sighed as he leaned back. Lisa placed her spoon down on the table, wiping her mouth on the napkin. Rick patted his stomach and gave a satisfied smile in agreement.

"I'll say. This place has the best food."

His two compatriots nodded in agreement. None of them noticed a young woman sitting across the restaurant from them, her attention looked to be focused on her pad. But if one paid attention, they'd see the serious looking woman dart her eyes occasionally towards the trio, more specifically, at Max. The young man stiffened slightly, his sixth sense that all pilots seemed to have tingled and he swept his own blue eyes around in her direction. In that instant, his eyes met her's and her face registered a minor flash of embarrassment. Seeing she had been caught, the green haired woman rose to her feet and headed towards the counter, ending up three customers from the register. Max felt his breath catch in his chest as Lisa gave Rick a short head nod towards Max, her lips twitching in a assumed smirk.. The couple followed his gaze and spotted the young woman he had been staring at. Or he might have been staring at the man with the mutton chops, but Rick was the only one who considered that a possibility.

"Who is she?" Max breathed, his pulse quickening. "She's beautiful."

"Oh, so it wasn't mutton chop man. Ow!"

Max spared a glance at Rick and saw him reaching down to run his shin with a pained groan. Judging by Lisa's pursed lips, she'd kicked her lover for his statement. She offered Max am encouraging smile and gestured with her head towards the unknown woman. "I don't know Max. Why don't you go introduce yourself?"

Max hesitated for a split second before he gave a grinning nod of his head. "I think I'll do just that Commander!"

As he left, he heard Lisa's disapproving tone. "Muttonchop man? Seriously Rick?"

He approached the young woman and felt his nerves flare up. She was the most beautiful creature he had every had the honor to lay his undeserving eyes upon. She spared a glance in his direction, and a scowl crossed her face, from what Max didn't know.

"Hello miss. Sorry to bother you." He smiled kindly at her, extending her hand. "My name is Max. Max Sterling."

She turned to face him, her eyes cold and calculating for a few moments before accepting his extended hand. "I am called Miriya."

She tried to pull back her hand, but Max seemed to have forgotten to release his grip. "That's a beautiful name Miriya. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"I'm sure." Her tone was crisp. "Please release my hand." _'Or you will lose it.'_

"Oh uh sure yeah. Sorry about that." Max rubbed the back of his head sheepishly Rick just shook his head in amusement as he and Lisa watched. He really hoped he hadn't sounded that awkward. Lisa herself was watching with morbid fascination as she was sure one of her pilots would be slapped and didn't know if she should intercede or allow it to happen. Sometimes men need to have their head deflated, pilots more so than usual. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to go out later tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. We can meet up at Lookout Point and go from there. What do you say?"

She seemed to be debating with herself whether to take him up on that offer or not. If Max had heard her thoughts, he probably would have changed his mind rather quickly. In Miriya's mind, she was wondering if perhaps fate had handed her a victory on a silver platter. That he was wanting to meet with her at what the humans called a park, probably late in the evening, would make it much easier for her to kill him. But how? Knife to the back? No...no she wanted him to know who it was that had bested him. Had finally killed him and delivered him into death's gold grip. "Perhaps. What time?"

Max was more than a little stunned at her response. "Does ten thirty sound good?"

She gave a sharp nod in agreement before she moved on and paid her her meal with the money she had...acquired from some human that thought himself intimidating. She doubted he would be missed. Max had meanwhile turned and if Rick didn't know any better, he'd say Max had adopted a cocky swagger towards them, his smile wide. Lisa merely rolled her eyes and muttered something about men while Rick just looked at Max confused, honestly surprised at the turn of events.

"That bumbling attempt actually worked?" He questioned before hissing in pain from another kick to his shin, glaring at a frowning Lisa Hayes. "Stop that!"

Lisa clicked her tongue, her look showing she did not approve of his statement. "Think before you speak dear. And last I checked, your own attempt was anything but graceful."

Rick scowled briefly before he gave her a cocky, teasing grin. "You still love me though."

"For some unknown reason, yes I do love you." She smiled sweetly as she patted his cheek, ignoring his indignant snort. Max watched the pair, bemused before he grabbed the check from the table.

"Well, since this is turning out to be such a great day, I'll cover the bill. Hate to run, but I have a date to get ready for!" Max cheerfully stated, turning and heading back to the register.

"It was your turn to buy anyway Max!" Rick called out.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The false sky had dimmed and Max looked up at it, truly amazed by the majestic image over his head. It was truly impressive as the City planners, when trying to find someway to make things as normal as they could be on a spacecraft, had come up with the idea of tying massive displays into the external cameras that dotted the exterior of the ship to simulate the night sky. He check his watch once more, seeing the time read as 10:29. One minute. He whistled a jaunty tune, sticking his hands in his suit pockets. Ben had been skeptical of the practicality of wearing a suit of all things, but relented to Max's logic of setting a good second impression. He heard a rustle behind him and turned, a smile half formed on his face a he spotted the form of his date coming towards him. "Miriya!"

His greeting fell flat as he spotted the harsh glare on her face, taking a step back in surprise. What had upset her?

"Maximilian Sterling! Prepare yourself for death!" She hurled a knife at his head.

Max dodged out of the way, hearing the dagger she had thrown sinking into the poor tree behind him. Max blinked owlishly, glancing between the knife and her angered face, stopping only ten feet from him. "Are you crazy?"

"I am Quadrono Leader Miriya Parina, Zentradi Air Force!" The pride in her voice showed she wasn't joking. Max frowned.

"Well there goes our first date." He commented dryly. Miriya's eyes hardened as she took a step forward.

"You are a fool!" She snarled, brandishing a second blade. "Fight for your life!"

"Wait, my life? Why?"

Miriya lowered herself, feeling her muscles tense as she prepared to attack, Max for his part, attempted to grab the knife sunk into the tree with out her noticing. "I will have my revenge!"

Max was forced to abandon his attempt as Miriya lunged at him, slashing towards his stomach. Rolling away quickly, Miriya seemed to get angrier and angrier as he dodged.

"Time and again you have bested me!" She raged, slicing towards his neck, only managing to catch air as he evaded. "The first time was luck. The second was your final victory! I will end you here and now, Blue Death!"

Max spun clear, his jacket not as lucky as him, and rushed the tree with the knife. With some considerable effect, Max yanked the blade free with barely anytime to parry a jab towards his midsection.

"How did I let this happen?" He muttered, perplexed as to how he ended up facing an enraged, knife wielding Zentradi woman.

Using the knife with precision, Max engaged Miriya as the woman rained blow after blow down on him, each one being deflected until the last sent the blade spinning from Max's sure grip. Reacting quickly, Max deflected her next slash, slamming his forearm against her, momentarily breaking her assault. Using the advantage he now had, Max grabber her arm and ducked behind her. Miriya gasped in pain as he roughly shoved her arm upwards at an unnatural angle, just enough to force her to drop the knife. Using his momentum, Max shoved his other hand forward, right between her shoulder blades. Miriya used this and rolled herself, taking Max along. The man grunted as his back slammed into the dirt, knocking the breath from him. Not waiting for him to recover, Miriya quickly straddled his chest and clasped her hands around his throat, squeezing tightly. Max gasped as he brought his arm up, slamming his forearm into the point where the elbows bent, shifting his weight quickly as she came off balance and and managed to get is leg into position to push her head away as he pulled on her arms in his vice like grip. Miriya growled in frustration and managed to turn her head a fraction of an inch and bit him hard on his inner thigh. Yelping in pain, Max rolled away and gingerly stood his his feet, gripping where she bit him. Both where panting heavily as they eyed each other, mutual respect flashing unsaid between them.

Max glanced down and spotted the knife as she did. The combatants lunged as one for the knife, colliding on the ground and began to roll, struggling to gain the weapon from the other. Max gave a triumphant cry as he ended up straddling Miriya, knife to her throat. Shock graced her face before being replaced with defeat. Her eyes were pools of resignation and tears as she looked up at Max from her position. "I've lost again. A shame I cannot endure."

Max blinked in surprise as she grabbed his wrist, applying pressure to the blade.

"Please, kill me." Her tearfilled gaze tore at his heart.

Max felt disgust in his actions and used his hand to gently pry her fingers off his wrist before tossing the blade away. He slid his body off her before gripping her hand and pulled her to standing position. The broken woman collapsed into him, Max wrapping his arms around her comfortingly.

"I won't do that Miriya." He told her confidently. "You're too beautiful."

She sobbed, gripping the front of his jacket, wetting the cloth with her tears. Whether they were in joy for him not going through with killing her, or merely the pain of suffering a lose once more to this human, she didn't know. Max felt a spark pass between them, one that struck deep in his chest. He gently stroked her hair as his heart told him this was love at first sight, a true love. It scared him and surprised him, feeling a tingle all the way to his toes.

"Miriya, this is going to sound really crazy." He began softly. "But...will you marry me?"

Miriya sniffed and pulled back, looking up into his eyes, feeling that same draw she had when she'd first learned of him. "What's marry?"

"It's something no words can describe. It's love which is the most important thing there is."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Henry gave a tired groan as he finalized the upgrade plans the maintenance crews and engineering teams had brought to him. Most of them were very sensible ideas, in fact they were upgrade that Headquarters had not sent them long ago. That very thought infuriated him as it had come to light that many of those who did not fall in line with certain members political agendas were sent to the worst duty stations with sub standard equipment. The late Admiral Marcus had been one such man which is why his battlegroup had been stationed on the other side of the moon during the Zentradi attack over a year ago. He scowled at that information as he checked the clock. Almost eleven, later than he'd have liked but it was unavoidable. He turned off his computer and rose from his seat when a knock reverberating through the room. Wondering who it was, Henry headed to the hatch and pulled it open, blinking in surprise at the pair before him.

"What is needed at this late hour?" Henry asked, curious.

"Captain, we'd like you to marry us tomorrow!"

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go! You get one guess as to who the mystery couple is and I will not be leaving hints. So I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writting it. Next chapter should be up in a few days, as well, a wedding and the debrief will probably take up the whole chapter. I even have a funny idea of how Max explains to Miriya just what is expected for their wedding night! I'm laughing about it as I right this little note! And I'll be doing my standard Review Responses next chapter so expect it to be a bit longer than usual, though my average is somewhere between 7200+ words to 9,500+ words so it may end up being within those two figures anyway! Anyway, drop a review please and guests are welcome to leave reviews as well!**


	14. Chapter 14 Young Fools

**A/N: Well guys, here we sit at Chapter 14. If my estimate is correct, between beefing up a few chapters and fixing some of my outline, we should have six chapters, maybe eight left, depending on how I go about the final Battle Between Dozla and the allies. With me starting work later this week, I won't be able to put as much time into writing which means the rate of update will slow some. And yes, to the PM I got, Ben is still alive and kicking if you couldn't tell! Anyway, onto review answers:**

 **jag389: No worries man. I was just curious as to how ya found it! But I'm glad your loving it. I've not been a fan as long as you as I only came across RoboTech as a fluke in 2000 when I was looking for Anime and such at the local library. Been a fan ever since! Just wish Harmony Gold would get their heads from their asses and make a full series! Seriously, Sentinals had only been like three episodes! What a waste!**

 **Fer82: Love your reviews my friend! And yeah, I did some research on the UEG and the council. Those bastards were putting people who didn't agree with their poltical agenda in the worst assignments. And as for the vessel estimates, according to the information I got, the UEG thought that the SDF-1 was a normal example of a large Zentradi ship and designed their own ships around that idea. Hell, the Zentradi ships turned out to be bigger and more heavuly armed and amored than they thought possible! And as for Claudia and Roy...well, just wait and see. And yeah...that story...yeah not my better moments...**

 **Andrewjameswilliams: I know how you feel. I gotta say your story is still the best one I have read on here with the detail you put into it. I admit that I'm good, but damn, you blow my work out of the water! And yeah, I got a plan to end that little rat myself. And yeah, didn't like the idea of leveling a city as it would have made more sense to me that Gloval, despite wanting to get the civilians off, decided to sit right ontop of it and take the Zentradi on. My own military instincts scream at the idea of fighting near a population center like that. Sure, the man is Russian and they can be crazy bastards at times but I really doubt they'd just sit and take all those hits. And as for Admiral Marcus, well he was in a similar position as Gloval. The Council didn't like him and he refused to bow to their agendas. Hence why he got stuck on the other side of the moon. And your question regarding little Miss Pop-Tart (God, I love that Nickname JayDog75 gave her!), it'll be answer soon enough!**

 **Cjusa1234: You and me both! I have to admit I had fun with that one. The original fight wasn't to impressive in my opinion so I threw a few Marine Corps hand to hand moves in for Max to make up for it! After all, even in a Micronian size, Miriya would be better trained. So I upped Max's hand to hand knowledge. And keep watching cause Ben will be pulling a few ricks out of his hat!**

 **JayDog75: Wow! Thank you for your review! And I am very pleased you are enjoying this! I have to say I love Darkest before the Dawn! You're work is up there with andrewjameswilliams in my humble opinion! You both have great RoboTech Stories and the style you have definantly drew me in! Also gave me an idea for some one shots and stuff! I hope this story remains to your liking!**

 **Sscaldwe: Thank you! I've been trying to extrapolate how they characters would act and have gone for a combination of the tale end of RoboTech and the glimpse we got from Sentinals! I still end up putting some of my own personallity into Rick which some of the ways he phrases things or his mannerisems are similar to mine! Problem is, if I was similar to anybody in the series, it would be Rick Post-Joining the RDF! Though I really don't like Pop music except one artist...oh God! I am just like Rick! Just gotta find my Lisa lol! Maybe I need to hit up comic con huh?**

 **Giulio The Roman: You are impossible lol! It was either instructor or death for Roy! Besides, he won't be sitting on the sidelines for too long. I'm thinking maybe cloned limbs and such. What with the Zentradi becoming allies soon enough, Humanity will eventaully get access to that tech and find away to use it. After all, the biggest weakness of the Zentradi is similar to the Covenant of Halo: They are imitative not innovative. Humans took aliens tech and made it their own! Anyway, glad to see you're enjoying it!**

 **CaptMacca: Smug Smirk I thought so! Gotta keep y'all on your toes you know! And yeah, I really hate the pineapple salad episode myself. Hope you're doing well and you've caught up. Judging by the guest type reviews you've had some trouble with your account.**

 **And that's that! Let's get to the chapter! And recommendation: Darkest Before The Dawn. Dear lord it's a freaking awesome Fanfiction! If you think mine is good, then that one is brilliant!**

* * *

Chapter 14 Young Fools

"Gentlemen, it is good to see you." Breetai greeted as the three scouts before him came to sharp attention after entering the room. It had been near two months since he had deployed the men before him to gather intelligence on the Micronians and from the regular reports they had transmitted to Azonia had been rich with a wealth of information on the tenacious species he was facing off against. "I know you have complied a thorough report on the Micronians, but I wish to hear directly what your opinions and thoughts are on these people are."

Rico, the de facto leader of the three cleared his throat before he began as he and his team sat in the offered chairs. "They are a fascinating species my lord. There is much about them that is a mystery to us, but having spent time with them, we have gained an understanding of what they call their culture."

Breetai nodded for them to continue and the three men pulled several strange objects from their pockets and placed them on the table. All were items taken from the micronian ship as examples of their culture, and Breetai gingerly picked up one object that seemed to have white keys arranged upon one side of it. He curiously lifted the small lid on it's top and saw what appeared to be filaments of some kind running through it. "What is this device?"

"It is called a piano my lord." Bron spoke, having spent more time than the others examining the device and how it was used. "Micronians use it to play what they call music. By touching a combination of the keys in a precise pattern, it emanates a pleasing sound in what they call a form of entertainment. But it is only one of many devices they use for such a thing."

"They have a rather interesting collection of such entertainment." Konda picked up a small box with what looked like a window in it. "They broadcast what is called television programs to devices such as this. Everything from what is called 'News' to purely fictional programs such as 'Movies' or 'Cartoons'."

Breetai rubbed his chin in thought as Exedore remained silent.

"You have seen such things?" He queried. "Is there any danger to our people?"

Rico shook his head. "I do not believe so sir. In fact, the only danger is laziness sir. Some humans, as they call themselves, will spend hours on end in front of these devices and tend to gain girth from remaining in front of it. We heard one young female tell a tiny human it would rot his brain if he watched for too long, but from our analyses, that is a distinct impossibility."

"Hmmm. What of their society?" Exedore questioned, his mind absorbing the facts as he received them. "You said some humans spend time in front of those boxes while others create this music you are talking about. Are they not all warriors?"

The three shook their heads as Bron answered the question. "No sir. Only a fraction of the humans on the ship are military. In fact, most are called civilians, non military crew. They do a variety of other necessary things such as taking care of the food needs to maintaining many of the fortresses systems. We have labeled them in our report as Non-Combatants and our recommendation is to avoid harming them if possible."

"How is that possible?" Breetai asked, his eyes widened in surprised. "How do they function properly if part of their population does not fight?"

"Perhaps these 'civilians' are slaves of some sort? Indentured labor force?" Exedore offered an explanation that the three spies once more turned down.

"As far as we could tell, they had the same rights available to them as their own warriors." Konda explained. "It's not a caste system either as we had initially suspected. It's how their society functions."

"Oh my." Exedore breathed, his eyes widening in alarm. "An open society!"

"Impossible!"

"Normally I'd agree. But it appears these humans are indeed an open society."

Rico gave the two a quizzical look. "Sirs?"

"An open society, as these humans have, was once something we too followed." Exedore spoke. "The Zentradi were once much like these humans in that regards during our early formation. Once the dangers were realized, we shunned such a thing and turned to our current ways once our new roles were designated with the War waged against the Invid."

"We almost lost the war when it began because of that." Breetai growled, his head beginning to throb from the information he had received. "Our first military units were filled with volunteers, a tiny faction of our numbers. Many did not wish to fight and that put us at a distinct disadvantage against our numerically superior foes. The decision was made to reform our people into a warrior race due to the high casualties we sustained."

"So we were once like these humans?" Bron asked, awe in his voice.

"Yes. But this information shows us an inherent danger coupled with reports from Commander Azonia." Exedore sighed and rubbed his temples. "Exposure to human culture is contaminating our people. They are beginning to regress to our earlier ways. And if that is the case, Supreme Commander Dolza will take action that will bring the death of us all."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is called singing?"

Rick smirked at the skeptical Zentradi before him as he and the small group listened itently to the Minmei doll sitting on the table and waving it's arms. Around them, some had their eyes closed, heads bobbing in time to the music. "It really pleasing to hear isn't it?"

"And this female makes these noises?"

"Yes." Konda nodded and pointed at the picture being held by the man beside him. "There are other singers and what they call musicians. Minmei sings what they call Pop music."

"You mean there are other types?"

"Oh yes. Classic Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Alternative..." Bron counted off before shaking his head. "There are too many to list right now. And that's not even counting the things they do for fun like reading or watching motion pictures for entertainment."

The assembled Zentradi had each looked to the three before them in wonder. They had never heard of such things and having heard just part of this music, they wanted to listen to more.

"Wait...if we attack again, we risk hurting this female."

The worry rippled trough the group as Rico nodded grimly. "Yes. We do. She's not a warrior."

"What do we do then Rico? We can't just mutiny against Commander Breetai. He may be strict but he is honorable and a good leader."

The three scouts looked to each other thoughtfully. "You thinking what I'm thinking Konda?"

"I do but can we even do it?"

"We'd need someone to work the micronization chamber." Brom turned his eyes to a blonde man, a worried look crossed his face and he began poking his index fingers together. The others looked to the man and hopeful looks sprouted, each of them silently begging the man to agree to help them. The man looked to his friends, men he had served with and fought with for decades and swallowed hard, unease settling into his stomach as just the thought of going against the orders set forth from Dolza himself in regards to the chambers sending fear through his being. But he was a warrior and he's comrades needed him.

"I...I can do it." He stammered. "But we have to do this quickly. And I want to hear more music."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The gentle ring roused Rick from his deep sleep. Grunting, he turned his head and tried to ignore the device on the bedside table. The ringing continued as the young woman in his arms moaned in annoyance as she began to swim to consciousness, albeit, extremely hesitant. She snuggled deeper into his embrace as she too tried to ignore the incessant ringing. The young man turned his eyes back to the device, his eyes half lidded, but a heated glare none the less was leveled upon the cell phone. Groggily, he used his free arm and grabbed the phone, mashing the accept button with out even pausing to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?" He tiredly growled into the phone as Lisa sighed in annoyance, her own eyes still shut as she tried to get comfortable.

An amused and familiar voice sounded from the caller. "Why am I even surprised you answered Lisa's phone Rick."

"Claudia, it's four thirty in the morning." Rick tiredly reminded her, his gaze sweeping briefly to the soft green glow of the alarm. "Why are you calling at four thirty in the morning?"

"I'm sorry for calling so early Rick, but we need to see you two at nine." Her apologetic tone carried over the phone. "I know how you both like to sleep in, but trust me, it's important."

Rick frowned, coming more alert as the fog in his mind cleared. "What's going on Claudia?"

"Just, please make sure you both come to the main conference room by nine in full military dress. No one is hurt, but I need you to promise me you'll both be there." Her voice held a pleading tone. "I promise I'll explain then."

Rick scowled for a moment before he answered. "Alright. We'll be there."

The relief in her voice was clear as she finished the call and the phone clicked off. Rick lazily placed the device back on the table and pulled his semi conscious love closer to him, burying his face in her hair. She sighed, content as Rick relaxed his body. "Wedding?"

Rick found her sleepy tone absolutely adorable, even in his befuddled and sleep clouded mind. "Yeah. Probably."

"Good thing your Dad already told us." She muttered, her eyes still closed and luxuriating in the closeness, sleep no longer possible as her mind fully began to wake. She was most annoyed that the call had happened this early, but knowing the reason behind it cooled her agitation.

Rick was silent as he tried in vain to fall back to sleep, but just like Lisa, he was one of those people that once woken, could not fall back asleep. His tone made Lisa smile as she could picture the pout on his face. "She could have waited a few more hours before calling."

"Mmm...I agree. Knowing Roy, he would have probably been banging on the door like a lunatic." She muttered.

"And he'd probably end up rolling down a flight of stairs for it." Rick threatened, mostly kidding but part of him was seriously considering doing that if he had. The image his mind cooked up of Roy sailing down a flight of stairs in his wheelchair, arms flailing was too funny to his waking mind. Lisa let out a soft laugh joined his before she raised her head and looked to the clock. It was almost five in the morning, and she stifled a yawn before sitting, the bed sheets sliding from her body. Feeling eyes upon her, she gave Rick a coy look, using a hand to trace circles on his bare chest. "See something you like?"

"Plenty." He smirked. "Most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Lisa leaned down, kissing him lightly. "Flattery will get you no where with me mister."

"Who said I was trying to flatter you Miss Hayes?" He growled, trying to deepen the kiss. Lisa pulled back, her eyes sparkling as she wagged a finger at him.

"Not this morning lover boy." She mocked scolded. "We have a wedding to get ready for."

Rick yawned before he glanced at the clock and grimaced himself. "Better get the coffee on then. It's going to be a long day."

He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and rose to his feet, straightening the legs of his boxer briefs that always seemed to end up bunched in the the most uncomfortable places and gave a stretch, a groan escaping his lips as he felt his back pop.

"Getting old?" Lisa teased, making her way towards the bathroom, her rather elegant pale blue night gown clinging to her lithe body. Rick snorted in amusement as he headed to the small kitchen and grabbed the metal coffee pot, filling it about mid way.

Rick zoned out some as he stood by the stove, feeling the warmth from the burners that would bring the water to the right temperature, or as he liked to say, Coffee Hot. His listened with half an ear towards the bedroom, the sounds of cascading water reaching his ears as his mind wandered to last nights call from his father. Pop had just had a visit from a rather excited Roy who explained briefly that the wedding would be moved up to tomorrow as Roy felt he had wasted enough time in making Claudia wait because he had been afraid. He was afraid that if he married her during a war, he'd end up like his old man. He didn't want to put Claudia through that should it happen, but now that he was removed from flight status, he realized that it was unfair to her. Or at least, Pop had smacked him upside his head and told him to get the lead out and make her an honest woman. Rick absentmindedly filled both cups and readied them as he heard the water cut off. His eyes darted to the bedroom door and he started to think that maybe it was time for him to take that final step himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"To be honest, I wasn't surprised Roy." Rick chuckled as he stood beside Roy, the man grinning ear to ear as he waited for his bride to be to walk into the room. "I'm just happy you're finally going through with it Big Brother."

"I was a fool Rick. And I ended up hurting her." Roy responded, his smile dropping as he looked to his brother in all but blood. "Take my advice, don't make her wait. I lost years Rick. Years that I could have had Claudia as my wife. And I'll always regret that."His smile returned as his happiness bubbled back over. "And starting today, I can make up for it all!"

Rick laughed and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder as Pop smirked from his place behind Rick. Roy had specifically asked both of them to stand with them, both were his family and he'd be damned if he did this without them present. Pop was looking down at him with pride on his face.

"I'm proud of you son." His gruff voice wavering with emotion. "I know Dan would be proud of you as well."

Roy just grinned as the doors opened from the other side of the room, and both Claudia and Lisa made their way towards the men, the dark skinned beauties eyes locked on Roy's, making his breath catch in his chest as his mind screamed at him that this was the day he had waited for. A day he both feared and anticipated with joy. Captain Gloval smiled gently as his helm officer took her spot next to the wheelchair bound Roy, and he would be at least for the next few weeks until his leg had healed enough for him to walk under his own power. He opened his mouth but Roy held a hand up, stopping him for a moment. All parties looked to Roy as he glanced to his brother and father.

"I want to stand on my wedding day." His voice was firm as both men looked to each other and nodded. Pop put his hand in place on Roy's shoulder and left side as Rick did so on the opposite side, hefting the man to a standing position, his legs shaking yet he remained determined to remain out of the chair. The image that the three put forth was so powerful, Henry gave an approving nod as Claudia watched with teary eyes. Lisa for her part gave the sight before her a warm and approving smile, knowing just how much this would mean to Roy and to Claudia. The tall blonde man gave a bright smile as he looked down to his bride. "There. Better."

Henry saw the nod in his direction from Pop and began the ceremony. "Today, we gather to bring together these two souls before us. Commander Roy Fokker and Commander Claudia Grant. Never have I seen such devotion or seriousness from Commander Fokker." He mused with a grin. "The love between you two has remained strong and pure for the years I have known you. I am honored you asked this of me to preside over your ceremony. From the days of ages past, ship captains were entitled with the power to marry those upon their vessels that so wished it. Today, I use that power to bound you by law, by heart, by soul to each other. I wish to say how proud I am to uphold this tradition. Do you, Claudia Grant, agree to stand by Roy Fokker, to love and to hold, in sickness and health? Till death do you part?"

Claudia looked to Roy, love in her eyes as she grasped his shaking hands with her own, placing the simple gold band on his ring finger, her response a whisper that was barely able to be heard. "I do sir."

Henry turned to Roy and opened his mouth when Roy gave a smirk as he cut the Captain off and slid her ring in place as he answered. "You bet I do."

Captain Gloval chuckled and nodded his head in understanding that Roy wasn't wasting any time to make her his for all time. "Well then. By the power vested in my by maritime law, UEG regulations of Marriage, and finally, because I say so as the master of this vessel, I pronounce you Man and Wife. You can kiss her now Commander Fokker."

The assembled group laughed as Roy did so with gusto. The now married pair pulled away and just smiled at each other. Henry mused that at least in all this death and betrayal, joyous moments like this existed. Even if it was the shortest wedding his had ever attended.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Look Rick! Minmei has a new movie. Let's go see it."

Rick frowned as Lisa grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the thearter. He'd heard a little about a Kung Fu movie being made on board and he did agree that it would help tremendously with morale, seeing as Command hadn't even stocked any new music or entertainment files on what most were calling The Morale Drive. Roy had snorted and said it wasn't a true Morale Drive but declined to explain further as Claudia gave Roy a withering glare.

"You sure Lisa?" He glanced at the poster. "I'm not really a Kung Fu kind of guy and I know you're not."

Lisa shrugged and kept moving towards the entrance. "Even though I'm not a huge fan of it, going to a movie sounds like a good idea after everything that's happened recently."

Rick couldn't help but agree and gave a gentle squeeze of his hand to let her know he was willing to go along with it. At least until he spotted a familiar face by the theater doors and had to fight to keep his groan in. The person in question spotted them and began waving frantically.

"Rick! Commander Hayes! It's good to see you!"

"Hello Miss Minmei." Lisa greeted politely as she and Rick came even to her. The Commander linked her arm with Rick's and extended her free hand that Minmei took. "It's nice to see you again. And congratulations on the movie."

Minmei's smile faltered slightly as her eyes took in the sight before her, but it was back just as quickly at the praise, her cheeks flushing prettily as she shook Lisa's hand. "Thank you Commander. I wish they could have gotten you to join but I understand that you've been very busy these last few months."

"That's one way of putting it!" Lisa laughed, nodding. "But then, so have you! You looked very beautiful tonight. Doesn't she Rick?"

Rick blinked, having not anticipated him being expected to speak. While his temper had cooled and was mostly gone, Minmei was still a sore spot for him. He quickly looked her over and had to admit she did look cute, but the woman on his arm had her beat by miles. "You do look nice Minmei."

The Chinese girl smiled brilliantly and nodded her thanks. "Thank you Rick. Hey, are you two coming to see the movie?"

"Yeah. Wanted to see what you've been up to since your last studio release." Rick remarked casually, letting slip the fact that it was actually Lisa's idea to watch it. He could have done with out. "Been busy with training the pilots and everything so I really haven't had much time to keep up with your lightening fast career."

Minmei gave them a thoughtful look before she smiled. "Then let me do something for you two! After all, I never got a chance to say how happy I am for the two of you!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What a waste of money." Rick muttered, Lisa linking her arm with his. "And what's with her kissing her cousin?"

"That was odd." Lisa agreed. "And we didn't have to pay Rick."

The two moved through the crowd that was still clamoring to get in to see the newest movie shot on board. Rick seemed to be at odds with his feelings, one part happy for his friends flourishing career, the other part agitated that of all those on the ship, she had been given special treatment to go see her own family. And she brought back a man she had introduced to him as her cousin, one who was at odds with the military. Rick had wanted to deck the guy when he spoke of things he was ignorant of, his statements too close to Rick's a year ago. Difference was, Rick had come to realize just how wrong he had been. This joker seemed not to care.

"Off doesn't quite fit Lisa. Disturbing is more like it. And yes we did. I still gave the ticket guy the money when you and Minmei weren't looking." Rick commented, Lisa just shook her head in exasperation.

She conceded. "I agree but enough about them. I'm still in surprise of Roy's actions this morning."

"Not me." Rick's face showed he wasn't teasing at this point as they strode together down the street from the theater. "The life we pilots lead is sometimes a short one. Roy has been lucky to survive as long as he has. If anything, I'm actually disappointed he waited this long. Especially after all the pushing he did to get me to admit I liked you. He was being a hypocrite and I didn't even notice at the time."

"Really? I guess I can see where you're coming from Rick." She favored him with a teasing smile. "Was I really that distracting to you?"

Rick stopped and pulled her to his chest, his grin infectious as he kissed her. "You still are."

She laughed and buried her face in his chest, her cheeks flushed at his public display. She wasn't against small displays but she put her foot down on looking like two seals fighting over a grape in public. Her heart skipped a beat as she closed her eyes in bliss. Unfortunately, that bliss was ruined by the shrill alarms that blared to life, signaling an attack from the Zentradi. Rick's eyes hardened as he reacted. "Come on. We need to get to our stations!"

She nodded and the two took off, rushing in the direction of the base. Lisa gave a silent curse towards the aliens, wishing they had held off until a more practical time. Around them, civilians rushed towards the shelters, parting to let the two officers pass though. Rick held onto Lisa's hand has he darted through the concerned crowd. The pair rounded a corner, in hopes of cutting time off their trip when Rick pulled up short as a rumbling filled the ship. "Oh no!"

The section before them split open as the shaking grew worse and the unfortunate pair lost their footing and tumbled down into the trench that had opened between the two sections of city. Rick pulled Lisa into his chest and turned to his back hit the ground first, knocking the wind from him. Lisa groaned as she sat up, and took stock of their current situation. "We need to get out of this trench!"

"Yeah. But could you get off me first?" Rick let out a pained groan. "Your thighs are crushing my rib cage."

Lisa's eyes widened and she quickly got off of his chest, helping him to his feet. The young pilot took a quick look himself, frowning as his mind tried to figure out just where they could go when his eyes spotted a tunnel that was uncovered during the transformation. "There!"

"Rick, we have no idea where that leads!" Lisa counted. "We could end up trapped in some unused section of the ship."

"Wouldn't be the first time. At least the company would be sexier." He shot her a cocky grin, her face reddening and she sputtered a response. "It's either the tunnel or get crushed when the ship reverts back. Take your pick."

Lisa took a deep breath, her mind easily deciding which would be the smarter option. At least if they got trapped, they would have time to wait out a rescue if they couldn't get free. "Alright flyboy. Lead the way."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"No no! Red squad was to be moved to Mid Block Section four! Not flight deck aft!" Sammie cried into the communications console. Henry gave an uneasy look as his assistant Operations officer was frantically trying to get the fighters were they needed to be.

"Bridge, we are unclear on your instructions." A frustrated voice radioed back and sent Kim and Vanessa into a giggle fit as Claudia merely shook her head in amusement. Despite the hiccup with getting flights airborne, Sammie was doing a decent job none the less. She wasn't aware Claudia was giving a helping hand to get orders out to the men and woman.

"Oh no! I'm sorry!" Sammie was getting upset as she looked to her console. "Oh Commander Hayes, please get here quickly!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick leaned against the wall of the cargo bay they had ended up in. At least he saw a full stock of supplies which meant they'd be able to get out once the ship reverted. Unfortunately, during a transformation, this bay ended up sealed off by the shifted machinery. "Wonder why the Captain ordered a transformation so early in the battle."

"The Operations Officer would initiate the transformation. Since I'm not there, Sammie would have given the order."

Rick blinked and shuddered. "Oh God, Sammie is giving battle orders?"

"What ever you make think, she knows what she is doing." Lisa corrected him, her frown slipping on her face. "She's well trained."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Purple squadron, main enemy push is in your quadrant. Ruby, move to provide cover to Purple." Sammie ordered crisply, her attention focused squarely on the display that was normally manned by Lisa. Vanessa and Kim smirked as they watched their normally scatter brained friend efficiently order their forces in what was fast becoming a successful defense. It impressed them as this was the first battle she was heading the counter attack.

"She's getting better."

"Yes, but she's still somewhat scattered." Claudia replied as Kim watched with amusement.

"Please don't distract me when I'm giving battle instructions!" Sammie snapped at Claudia. The older woman gave an exaggerated sigh, winking at the two other girls before she snapped off a lazy salute while Henry just stared in amazement at the wispy blonde, the same one that was constantly telling him off for lighting his pipe on the bridge.

"Yes ma'am."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick's eyebrow twitched as the cola machine rolled away, having fallen into the same trench they had. He'd tried to ask the blasted machine to help find a way out and all it could say was it was out of that brand. "Empty headed tin can."

Lisa covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter at the banter between man and machine. Rick sulk back over to her and dropped back to his spot, letting out an explosive sigh. This reminded him too much of the time he and Minmei had been stuck in a similar position, an uncomfortable reminder of his failed attempt at romance.

"Are you alright Rick?"

"Yeah. Just thinking." He narrowed his eyes at the mock surprise from Lisa. "What?"

She gave him the most dangerous expression any woman could have: Innocent wonder. "What ever do you mean Rick?"

"Oh ha ha." He muttered with some humor. "I guess I was thinking about the first time I was trapped in a sealed off section."

Understanding crossed her face as she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"With Minmei. I remember Commander Fokker telling Claudia about that." She replied. "Two weeks with some one is a long time."

Rick heard the tone in her voice and tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes. "I told you before Lisa. Nothing happened between me and her. As far as I'm concerned, it's the past and it'll stay there."

Her eyes flashed with regret as she had unintentionally called him a liar, knowing full well that Rick Hunter did not lie well at all. The few times he had tried, she had busted him the moment the lie left his mouth. Thought it was always something minor like when he somehow managed to get tomato sauce on her kitchen ceiling or when he used her tooth brush by mistake.

"I know. It's just..." Her voice came soft and fearful. "I can't help but wonder what could have happened if I hadn't relaxed around you."

"I'd have probably still been chasing after Minmei." He stated calmly, rubbing his thumb along her cheek. "And based on how much Kyle looks like your late fiancee, I have a feeling you'd have been chasing after him. But that doesn't matter now. We have each other and that's the most important thing. You know I won't leave you Lisa."

She smiled, a stray tear escaping from her eye. "I know you won't Rick. I just hope you don't regret it. I am a mess you know." Her attempt at humor fell flat as a wince crossed her face.

"And? So am I." He saw her disbelieving look and chuckled. "I chased after a girl for eight months that had no intention of dating me. I spent another month denying my heart and the emotions I had for you. And to top all that off, I'm now scared to death of living with out you. I promise you this much, Lisa Hayes, I plan to marry you some day. Once we're ready, I hope you'll say yes when I ask."

With tear filled eyes, she pulled him into a tender kiss before pulling away after several moments, her eyes locked onto his blue orbs. "I love you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick found himself, hours later, nursing a cup of coffee in the officers mess. He'd debriefed the squadron leaders on top of explaining just where he had been during the fight. He had almost went through with pushing Roy down a flight of stairs from all the innuendos the man threw his way. His brother could really be an ass at times. It was some of a surprise to see Max heading his way, dressed in his uniform and looking worse for wear.

"Hey Max. You look like shit." He commented, gesturing to the free seat across from him. "Date go well?"

"Not like you'd think." Max muttered, leaning back in his seat, Rick cocked an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee.

"What? Did she slap you or something?" Rick joked, knowing that Max wouldn't have done anything to push a woman to hit him.

"She threw a knife at my head."

Rick was thankful he still had his cup to his mouth, managing to spit the brew back into it. He looked to Max, shock on his face as he put the cup down.

"What did you do?"

Max debated with himself momentarily before describing what happened during his meeting with his date last night. He specifically told Rick of how Miriya was an enemy pilot that had come to assassinate him for his combat victories over her. How she had been thoroughly enraged at him the whole time until he got the upper hand. Rick listened intently, knowing he would need to report to the captain that enemy agents had infiltrated the ship. It was a security risk in an of itself as they could sabotage key systems and cripple the fortress, and that would allow the Zentradi to finally gain control of the ship. Hearing Max's next statement brought pause to him as his mind tried to decide if he was hearing things or if Max was being serious. "We're getting married."

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, his temper flaring up at his wingman's idealism. "Max...let me get this straight. An enemy ace tries to kill you not once, but three times in one fight. You beat her and now you are marrying her. That sound about right?"

Max gave a nod, his eyes locked on his boss.

"How did you get yourself into this mess?" Rick questioned hotly. "You realize that you could be charged with consorting with the enemy right? Damn it Max, how could you be so stupid?"

"Skipper, it's not stupid!" Max shot back, feeling defensive and more than a little hurt at Rick's words. "You don't understand, we're in love!"

"You're talking nonsense here Max!" Rick was trying to get him to understand just how foolish this sounded. "I can understand you like her, but ignoring the fact that she's an enemy pilot, what exactly do you have in common with her?"

Max glared at him. "There is no problem that love can't over come. Believe me Skipper, this isn't like anything I've ever felt. It's...it's the feeling that she is the one!"

Rick stared at his friend, understanding what Max was saying. "Max, you know we'll need to take her to the Captain. He needs to know that the enemy have spies on board."

"Just...meet her, please." Max pleaded. "You'll understand after you speak to her and the Captain will value your opinion on her more than mine. I brought her along."

"Here?" Rick gave an amused snort and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. "This should be interesting."

Rick's ears perked up at the sounds of heels and he glanced to see a rather attractive woman in a pink dress, her green hair tied and laid across one of her shoulders. Rick blinked in surprise as the young woman greeted him. "It's an honor to meet you in person instead of in combat."

"Uh...we've met before?" Rick asked lamely.

She nodded and stepped beside Max, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Yes. You are one of four fighters we've been warned about. My people call you the Red Devil."

Rick perked up at that, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Red Devil huh? I like it! You know Max, you were right. She is beautiful."

"Thank you Commander Hunter. You are just like Max described." She smiled.

"So Skipper. What do you think?" Max asked, his eyes begging Rick to agree. The man sighed and gave a nod.

"Alright Max. If you're serious about this, I'll give you my support."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You know, when my day started, I never imagined it would end with finding out of another wedding." Henry groused, eyeing the three in his office. "Especially one planned by one of my pilots and an enemy ace."

Max and Miriya sat in the chairs before him while Rick stood off to the side as the Captain glanced to Rick. "Commander, your thought on this?"

"Sir, I actually think this might help us more than hurt us." He began. "Both of these two represent a peaceful future for both races. Think about it sir. What more powerful message can we send that we want peace than two of the best aces from each side marrying for love? It might actually help us sway the fence sitters back home towards finding a diplomatic solution here instead of just killing each other."

"Well said Commander." Henry nodded his agreement. "Those were my thoughts exactly. And-Come in!"

The door opened and Lisa entered the office, her face calm as she approached the Captain's desk and placed a folder before him. "The test results sir. It turns out that Human and Zentradi DNA are completely the same."

Henry pulled the report open and read through the findings, his brow furrowed as many possibilities popped into his mind. This could actually be the key to ending this war before it escalates any further. "I think we now have a strong case to push for a cease fire."

Lisa glanced briefly at Rick, a feeling of unease welling up inside her as she spoke. "Captain, I believe we should get this information to headquarters as soon as possible."

Henry nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I agree. We will upload it directly to Earth. In the mean time-"

"Captain." All eyes turned to Lisa as she had never before interrupted the man, Rick eyeing her with curiosity as she spoke. "I believe this information is too sensitive to transmit even on an encrypted channel. It needs to be hand delivered to the brass."

Henry peered at her over his steepled fingers as Rick's eyes narrowed, understanding where she was going with this. "And how will we accomplish that Commander?"

"She's planning to hand it over herself." Rick stepped forward, his arms crossed. "And I don't think it's a good idea. They were willing to shoot at us when we tried to get the civilians off. On top of that, the Zentradi Navy is still out there and a threat to any craft heading towards Earth. I say a transmission is our safest option."

"And I say it's not the best option for us." Lisa was not backing down from her stance. "Rick, we need to make sure the council understands just what this means to our people. Besides, unless you've forgotten, this information is Top Secret data. Which means that if there is any chance of interception, the information must be brought to the recipient via physically sealed documents. And other than the Captain, I am the only person on board authorized to transfer such documentation."

"Authorized? What about the intelligence personnel? Let them take it to them." Rick's voice was raised, both forgetting the other three in the room who were watching with interest. Lisa's nose flared as her eyes became hardened chips of emerald.

"You've let your emotions cloud your judgment, Commander Hunter." Her tone had become icy as she stepped in front of him. "You're not being objective here. We have to get this to them and the only way is for me to hand deliver it. I don't like the idea of being a flying target, but it is my duty."

"And it's mine to keep you safe!" He roared. "And you're making it harder than it has to be!"

Lisa blinked in surprise at his anger as he took a deep, steadying breath. All eyes in the room were widened in surprise, having never heard or seen Rick lose his temper.

"I...I can't risk losing you. Please, Lisa. Have some one else do it." He spoke softly, dropping his chin towards his chest, eyes closed tightly. He flinched as her gentle hand rested on his arm, her thumb rubbing circles through the material.

"I'll be alright Rick." She comforted him as he looked up, his worry clear on his face. "But you must understand how important this is. I can't trust anyone else to relay this information. Someone else might screw it up and this is our one shot left."

"Ahem."

They turned back to Henry, a grim look on his face as he spoke. "I agree with Commander Hayes in this matter. Lisa, you will leave tomorrow morning under the escort of Vermilion squadron."

He raised his hand as Rick opened his mouth to protest. "Lisa is right Commander. Your emotions preclude you from running the escort. I am sorry, but this is my final judgment."

Rick slumped his shoulders in defeat before he nodded, Miriya watching the fight with interest before the Captain turned his attention back to the two before him.

"I do apologies for the rather heated display you witnessed."

"It's quite alright Captain Gloval. It is...interesting to see humans interacting." She smiled. "Commander Hayes reminds me of my former Commander when she deals with Khyron."

"You've mentioned that name before I think." Henry remarked, rubbing his chin. "He was the one who laid the trap at Mars for us, yes?"

"Yes, the fourth primary." She turned to Rick. "He has a special interest in you Commander Rick Hunter. He seems to have a vendetta specifically against you. To be honest, you'd have done the Zentradi a favor in ending his life."

Rick blinked in surprise. "What did I do to him?"

"You've bested him three times in direct combat. The most recent was when you split his battle pod open during battle."

Rick thought back to that fight and grimaced as he realized what she was referring to. "Oh."

"With the Zentradi specifically targeting you, and your two former wingmen, you must be vigilante Commander. It is only fortunate Miss Miriya here fell for Lieutenant Sterling instead of killing him." The Captain warned before he continued with the original discussion. "In regards to your wedding, I suggest you do so the day after tomorrow at the latest. We must show not only our people, but yours as well that we can coexist in peace."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai rubbed his chin as he watched the image of the battlefortress, his mind still going over Dolza's orders from just yesterday. The Supreme Commander was still blaming protoculture for the power behind the Humans battle prowess. But Breetai had a sneaking suspicion that Dolza feared losing his total control over the Zentradi forces through the cultural contamination brought forth by prolonged contact with the Humans. He seriously doubted it was from Protoculture as his own spies felt the humans had no idea just what it was. And now, he was ordered to capture a few of them for a full scientific study, meaning dissection. Something he found distasteful to do to any sentient being. No, what worried him the most was that if Dolza caught wind that his own crew had begun rallying behind the tiny humans, the Supreme Commander wouldn't think twice about killing every single warrior under Breetai's command. And he had recently found out a number of his men, including his spies from the human vessel, were missing. He growled in annoyance as his mind pieced together that they had willingly left his command and were more than likely on the human warship.

And he still had yet to accomplish the mission set by Dolza. He had plans in place to attack the human warship in a few hours to attempt a capture of the humans. He only hoped Khyron followed his orders.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa sighed as she settle into her seat, the shuttle preparing for launch, her mind thinking back on the night she and Rick had shared. Quite possibly the last night for a long time. He had asked her what the odds of her returning after briefing the brass on their newest discovery was. She told him honestly that she didn't know but promised she'd do her best to come back to him.

"Commander, we will be departing in a few minutes. Please fasten your seat belt."

Lisa slipped the strap over her waist and clicked it together, and with a sigh turned her eyes out the porthole, spotting Rick standing in the observation room watching her. She placed her hand against the glass, tears welling in her eyes. She saw him give a small wave and then she was gone, flying out into space and headed on her way to Earth, hoping and praying she would be able to return to him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick slammed his throttle to the firewall and rolled as dozens of missiles shot from his heavily modified fighter. He had been awed that the deck crew had managed to salvage Skull One and rebuild her. He had though she was gone, that the crash would have destroyed her, but it hadn't. She had been severely damaged, that mush was true, but with the help of Doctor Lang, one of the original designers, they had managed to not only rebuild her, but upgrade her into an even deadlier machine. Capable of carrying near four dozen smaller missiles into special designed launchers, Skull One could decimate an attack force almost on it's own. But those thoughts were not on his mind as he engaged the remaining Zentradi fighters that had attempted to capture the shuttle Lisa was flying on.

"Vermilion One, status." He called. Moments later, Max's tired face snapped on.

 _"We're moping up the last of them now Skull Leader. Thanks for the assist Knight."_

"Any time Hound. I'll continue escort from here."

 _"Roger that. We're just about dry over here anyway. Vermilion One out."_

Rick pulled into position off the shuttle's left wing and nudged his throttle forward just enough to find Lisa. He saw her do a double take at his fighter and she reached for the phone built into the vessel. Not even a second later, he heard her voice come through his headset.

 _"Rick! Are you okay?"_

"I think I'm supposed to be asking you that question Lisa." He chuckled, checking his display. They had maybe six minutes before he had to break off from his escort and had something he needed to do.

 _"I'm fine Rick. Thanks to you and Vermilion."_ She paused and looked to him, and he could tell by her voice she regretted having to leave him behind on the ship. _"Rick...I..."_

"No need to apologize Lisa." He remarked, a sad smile crossing his face. "I know you need to do this. And I have a favor. Open the front pocket of your over night bag."

Lisa blinked and pulled her carry on to her lap, holding the phone with her shoulder against her ear while she opened the pocket in question, noticing a small bulge to it. Her fingers touched the item and her eyes widened as she let out a shaky gasp. Darting a look to him, she saw him motion for her to pull it out. Steeling her nerves, she pulled out a small velvet box, no bigger than a few inches. Not daring to believe what she thinking, she gently lifted the lid and her eyes landed on an elegant, yet simple ring. She felt tears stinging at her eyes as she pulled out the small folded piece of paper that had been tucked into the lid and unfurled it, having some difficulty from her trembling hands. Her heart stopped for a moment as she looked from the paper to Rick, unable to formulate any words. Rick for his part, was watching with some apprehension and spoke as she saw her head turn from him to the surprise he had secreted into her bag when she hadn't been looking. "It's not an engagement ring just yet Lisa. It's a promise ring. Will you accept it?"

Lisa took a breath and smiled happily as she slid the ring onto her finger, admiring the small sapphire that seemed to sparkly brilliantly, even in the dim lighting of the passenger bay. She held the note to her chest as she picked grabbed the receiver with the hand now adorned by the ring, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You know I'll definitely have to come back now." She choked out, her smile not leaving her face. "To answer your question Rick, yes. Yes I will."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron was not happy, though in this case it was understandable. He'd boarded this ship to capture a few micronians. Sure he had killed a fair few of the soldiers, but that wasn't important. This should have been a simple mission for him to complete. Instead, he was currently chasing down his cowardly men that dared to voice their interest in the small micronian singer. The men had scattered after he killed the one who had spoke such nonsense, and now, he was currently chasing them down.

"Come back and die like a Zentradi you cowards!" He howled, triggering his weapons.

The blast missed his target, but it wasn't due to him. No, the reason was from one of the bipedal Micronian mecha that plowed through a heavily damaged building to his left, slamming full force into him. Khyron snarled as his pod was knocked to it's side. The Micronian Mecha braced itself, two long barrells for arms glowed a hellish orange as they prepared to fire.

"You Micronian pest! I'll kill you!" He screamed in rage, getting back to his feet.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Tomahawks, Spartans, and even a few of the Monsters that weren't relegated to ship to ship where holding as best they could. Civilians were clear of the streets thankfully, as most of the city was engulfed in flames and fierce fighting. Ben Dixon was heavily engaged in the counter boarding action, barking out orders as he sent a burst from his Veritech's gun pod down range, spearing an attacking pod through the leg.

"Third Squad, move up! MAC units, give us some cover!" He ordered of the massive artillery pieces.

The Tomahawks moved forward, their heavy armament slowing them as the autocannons roared to life, 25mm rounds slamming into the advancing enemy as the 400mm quartet guns mounted on the Monsters swiveled into life. Bracing themselves, the massive three hundred and seventy ton mass of metal slammed their feet down as the metal slabs, nicknamed 'Dozer Blades' from the appearance, locked the beast to the ground. With a massive boom that was audible even to Ben in his cockpit, four high explosive shells soared through the air at supersonic speeds, blowing a group of pods into confetti. While they normally wouldn't be used on board the ship in fear of one of the shells piercing the hull of the SDF-1, in this case the need to beat off the enemy took forefront.

"Command, Guard Dog One, we need additional units in sector five. Enemy is attempting to push through to the shelters!"

 _"We'll direct Wolf team to your location. Ten minutes until they can reinforce."_

"In ten minutes they'll be reinforcing a graveyard. Tell them to step on it!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick joined up with Ben and Max as the two looked over over the destroyed city. The smell of smoke still lingered as crews went about, assessing the damage and setting about rebuilding. Ben glanced at Rick, his arm in a sling from where he had broken it during the fighting. The Steak lover had been in the think of it, at one point having ripped a pods leg off and had beat several of the Zentradi down with it before an officer pod had managed to take him down. Lucky for him, his new girlfriend had flown into a rage and crippled the pod enough for it to leave. But the damage to their defenses were high. Thirty-two Destroid Spartans were now scrap with fifteen needing complete refit and repairs. Fifteen Tomahawks were now nothing more than happy memories with almost triple that number down as well. Of the four MAC HWR units that had participated in the fighting, only one was still operational. Not to mention the ten veritechs they had lost in the fight.

"Hey Skipper. Did Commander Hayes make it to Earth in one piece?"

"Yeah. She's fine."

Max glanced at his CO and cocked an eyebrow. "What's up Commander? You looked like something is one your mind?"

He spared a glance at Max before a small grin slipped onto his face. "She said yes to the promise ring."

The two blinked in surprise before they both smiled at him.

"Well congratulations sir!" Ben exclaimed. "After this last slug fest, we could use the good news."

"I'll say. Today has been a bad day all around." Max muttered, his gaze flashing back over the city. "I'm just happy none of the Civilians were harmed."

The trio fell into silence before Rick turned to the sound of gravel and spotted what looked like close to two dozen men in strange robes making their way to them. His eyes narrowed as he recognized one of the men as Sammie's date a few weeks ago when he and Lisa had went on a double date with the pair. "Rico? Who are your friends?"

The man named Rico paused and glanced to his companions before looking back to Rick, his face serious as he spoke. "Commander Hunter, we former soldiers of the Zentradi wish to make an official request for asylum to the people of the United Earth Government."

Rick blinked before sighing, Max and Ben sharing a surprised look. It seemed like the day was only getting harder.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, break down on the RDF Mecha introduced here and some that will be making an apprentice in upcoming chapters, pulled right from the official sources and the wiki pages pertaining to them:**

 **ADR-04-Mk X (Destroid Defender): Walking, bipedal Anti-Aircrat gun. Stands at 10.8 meters tall and armed with two twin 78mm anti-aircraft guns. Extensive Radar systems allowed it to track and engage hostile aircraft at long range. Future refits replaced the 78mm with lasers cannons sometime after the First RoboTech war. The RDF could redeploy them to engage Zentradi ground forces as the 78mm was shown to be effective against the lightly armed Regult battle pods deployed by Zentradi Naval and Air based forces.**

 **SDR-04-Mk XII (Destroid Phalanx): Mobile Missile platform armed with two eleven tubed missile pods that were reloaded by internal magazines holding eleven missiles each. Due to the size, estimates on magazines is ten per tube, allowing for a high rate of fire before internal munitions bays require reload. Used in training of RDF pilots, the Phalanx has been shown to carry reflex warheads instead of conventional warheads. Useful as Rocket Artillery, they stand at 12.7 meters tall, the extra height required for the missile bays.**

 **HWR-00 or MAC-II (Destroid Monster): A massive mobile behemoth designed as a heavy gun platform, though used as heavy artillery. It is armed with four 400mm naval guns and two triple tubed missile launchers. Weighing in at 370 tons, it is by far the heaviest mecha in the human military. Due to the recoil from her main weapons, massive braces are attached, nicknamed Dozer Blades, to prevent it from being knocked over from her own guns. Two Monsters are actually held in place by massive clamps to add a tighter defense for the bridge of the SDF-1. The 400mm are so powerful, that when fired, the ship has to fire it's engines to hold it in place. Standing at a frightening 22.5 meters, it is the largest Mecha available.**

 **MBR-07-Mk II (Destroid Spartan): A rather underpowered design, the Spartans were more built as a support unit. Carrying 3 light lasers, two in a turret above its head and a third joining a single 12.7mm machine gun in the chest, the Spartans other weapons included two shoulder mounted missile launchers, one 32mm auto cannon, one 180mm mortar and a single flamethrower. In combat against Regults and the uparmored command variants, the Spartan lacks the firepower to go toe to toe. Against Zentradi out of their pods, it is an even match. The Spartan stands at 11.3 meters, roughly the same height of a regular Zentradi solider. This has not stopped some pilots from punching above their weight however.**

 **MBR-04-Mk VI (Destroid Tomahawk): The back bone of the human Mecha forces. Armed with two heavy beam cannons, three missiles launchers, two 12.7mm machine guns, two 25mm Autocannons, four 180mm direct-fire mortars, two light lasers and two flame throwers, the Tomahawk is a deadly and versatile mech, able to handle their own in most ground engagements with the Zentradi. The Tomahawk is armed with four smoke canister dispensers for defensive purposes. Used to great effect during numerous Zentradi boarding attempts, these Mecha are not to be underestimated. Paired with supporting Spartans and a Monster, a single squad of these beasts can and have held the line against an opposing force. Slower than it's smaller breather due to it's heavy armament, The Tomahawk stands at 12.7 meters tall.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Little shorter than usual, but we're gearing up towards the big showdown with Dolza. This chapter is setting up for a lot to come so please forgive the length. Also, I've been a little under the weather the last two days so yeah. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 15 The seeds that we sow

The shuttle touched down with a stressed whine from the engines, almost as if they were displeased at being powered down. Admiral Hayes tried to keep his face a blank mask, but the frown seemed like it would not leave, giving the only sign he was displeased as the single passenger stepped clear of the passenger compartment. The young woman's eyes locked on him and he saw her slight wince at his expression. _'Oh you better believe I'm not happy you're here.'_

Lisa knew what her father was thinking but the information she carried was too important to chance and marched right to him, her cover barely staying put as she snapped to attention and gave a crisp salute to the man before her. "Good afternoon Admiral."

Donald snapped off his own salute, his scowl still in place. "Commander. I hope you have good reasons for being here."

She winced again at his tone, hearing the unsaid statement that she should have stayed on the SDF-1 were she was safe. She steeled herself and followed him through the doors and down the winding halls of Alaska base. He didn't say one word the whole trip to his office and rounded on her once the doors were closed. "Just what in the blazes are you doing here Lisa? You know how volatile this whole situation is!"

He paused and his eyes narrowed on a flash of silver from her left hand and growled, "And just why are you wearing a ring on your left hand? That little...he never even asked for my permission."

Lisa couldn't keep her smile off her face as she looked toward the ring that adorned her left ring finger.

"It's a promise ring Dad. From Rick."

He huffed in annoyance, his mind going back to his earlier train of thoughts. "My questions still stand young lady."

Lisa paused, her hand gripping the handle of the sealed briefcase tightly and stood straighter. Donald recognized her change in posture and knew this was going to be a more formal discussion. He just hadn't realized just how formal.

"Admiral Donald Hayes, on the authority of Captain Henry J. Gloval, commanding officer of the SDF-1, I am here to present information deemed by the Captain as classified Top Secret/Eyes only to the United Earth Government Security council and the Fleet Admiral of the RoboTech Defense Force. Per RDF regulations regarding the transfer and delivery of sensitive information, I am officially requesting an emergency hearing to convene with the Council."

Donald blinked before he nodded and tapped the call button. "Sergeant of the Guard, report to my office with an escort for a Tier One resource."

 _"Yes Sir. We'll be there shortly."_

Donald turned to Lisa. "Very well Commander, we will convene at once. Once the guard arrives, you will be escorted directly to the council chamber. Any deviation from the directed path will be considered a breech in security protocols and will be persecuted as such. You are also forbidden from speaking to any personnel until such time it is deemed appropriate. Any actions taken against these orders will be charged under the coinciding articles in the UCMJ. Do you understand?"

"Yes Admiral."

Donald gave her a grim look as a knock on the door signaled the escort had arrived. "Let's get this show on the road."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Every eye snapped to the sight of Lisa Hayes being escorted to the council room by six heavily armed Marines, their faces set in cool determination as if daring someone to be stupid enough to approach them. At the head of the group, and equally stone faced Admiral Hayes marched towards the chamber, his heels making a clack with each step as they passed. Whispers erupted around them as a few spotted the briefcase being carried by the Commander, all knew she was the Executive Officer of the Fleet Flagship and couldn't help but wonder just what it was she was carrying. Lisa ignored the stares and whispers as they made their way to the chamber. Donald stopped the procession and turned to the Staff Sergeant, a relatively young one with his name tape proudly baring the name Horner for all to see.

"Staff Sergeant. You and your men are to post a guard at this access point. Once we enter, no one, and I mean no one, is to enter until the brief is finished. You are authorized to utilize lethal force if necessary to ensure no Classified information leaves this room with out my permission as under regulations pursuant to Tier One Information. Do you understand your orders?"

The Staff Sergeant nodded his head and turned to his men and began barking his orders. "You heard the Admiral! Get the lead out and set up!"

Donald nodded his head in approval as the Marines moved to positions to ensure no one would get into this room. Thankfully, it was the only entrance in and he opened the doors, Lisa followed him into the room. She waited until the Admiral input his security clearance and activated the Faraday system, leaving only one direct hard line in for the Security council. A cool female voice sounded as a heavy lead lined steel door slid into place, sealing the room. "Omega level Security Lock down initiated. Level Red Security protocols active. Room secure."

"This way Commander."

Lisa followed behind her father, her mouth closed and her face grim. She more than understood the need for security, but she'd only ever heard of an Omega Level lock down. This room was now the single most secure place anywhere on the planet. And if this information was as serious as she believed it to be, it wasn't secure enough. "Council is coming on line now. All lines are now encrypted."

"Yes? What is with the sudden meeting?" The annoyed voice of Senator Russo sounded out first before his eyes caught sight of Lisa. "Just what is she doing there Admiral?"

"Commander Hayes has brought critical information to us that Captain Gloval has deemed Top Secret/Eyes Only. Before we continue, each of you are required to submit your clearance codes and await authentication." Donald fought to keep his vicious smirk from his face as Russo's codes hadn't been reactivated yet to his knowledge, and even if they had, he knew the man would cross the line. He really hoped he was stupid enough to do so as it would give Donald just the opening he needed to finally get the little rat out of the way for him and his people to actually defend the planet. The little man opened his mouth before the UK delegate spoke, her soft musical voice filled the room.

"Very well Admiral."

One by one, Russo included, entered their required codes into the system. The supercomputer designated for only this room and completely off the main computer networks, went to work and confirmed each code before a red light flashed, signaling one the the members had a third party present that was not authorized. The computer isolated the room in question and heavy doors slammed shut behind the culprit. Donald was very glad he had pushed for this particular security feature during Russo's disappearance and seeing the man's shocked face made Donald want to crow like a kid on Christmas morning.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He screeched into the camera, a second man backing towards the door, a short man with a heavy tan, eyes wide with fear. Russo looked incensed as his face reddened. It took all of Donald's considerable will to keep the truly predatory smirk off his face as he leveled his gaze on the man.

"Senator Russo, as per regulations regarding any top secret information breech, I place you under immediate arrest for willful violation of security protocols. Per General Order twenty-two, as Commander of the all RDF assets, I am authorizing a complete investigation into other such breeches, including top secret weapons information that was sold by you to hostile anti-UN powers." He let his grin slip onto his face. "You lose little man."

The channel terminated, and Donald savored his victory of the man that had done much to cripple them all for his own gain. He turned his attention back to the council who were in shock at what had just happened. "Well, now that the excitement is over, I suggest we get this brief underway. Commander Hayes, please present the information you have brought forth to us."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick watched his friends with pride as Max and Ben stood at the front of the crowd. Max had informed Rick that he wanted Ben as his best man. Rick thought it was a great idea and seeing Max in his tux with Ben standing beside him proved him right. Of course the Steak Lover had been hesitant, at least until Sarah, his girl, had whispered something into this ear. That was funny enough watching the six foot three man stoop down to hear her. Whatever she said to him, Ben quickly agreed to it. Rick watched as the ceremony began and turned his head to watch Miriya march confidently down the aisle on Brom walked her down the aisle, being the one of her people, while Rico and Konda sat with the rest of the Zentradi Soldiers that had defected to them watched in curious silence at the ceremony. Form what Rick could gather, they had nothing to compare this with. Rick turned his gaze back to the unfolding history before him and couldn't help but feel hope fill his chest. If two enemy pilots could marry with both Humans and Zentradi in attendance, then it could demonstrate the chance for peaceful coexistence.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Exedore. Can I ask what Miriya is doing?"

Breetai was watching the transmission with vested interest as he had never seen such a display. Exedore cocked his head to the side before rubbing his chin. "I believe she is getting married. According to my research, it is a joining of two beings by love in which they live their lives together and eventual procreation."

Breetai stared at the monitor, cupping his hand with his chin. Before, he would grow concerned that perhaps his people were being brainwashed into such a thing, but more and more evidence came forth showing the humans truly were a peaceful people unless provoked. Every since his spies, which he noted with no surprise where in attendance of the ceremony, had returned their report, he had poured over most of the historical text of these humans. Most Zentradi Commanders could care less about a species history, but Breetai was something of a revolutionary in his ways of thinking. He felt that to combat an enemy efficiently, one must understand that enemy. Interrogations can only give so much information where as the history of a species could allow you to think like your enemy, understand them better and combat them properly. But of all the species he had done battle against, these humans were the most diverse. And despite some warring periods, humanity it seemed, wasn't looking for any conflict with them.

"Perhaps...Perhaps Exedore, we have been going about this the wrong way." He mused. "Maybe...maybe this 'Love' these humans speak of is just an emotional connection. Not a weapon."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Once the attendees finished setting themselves in their chairs, Captain Gloval rose to his feet, his uniform immaculate and all of his awards shone brightly on his chest. Taking a hard look around, he began speaking as the silence filled to room, all eyes and camera's on the tall Russian. "This wedding carries with it a great historical significance. As you all know, Miriya was a Zentraedi warrior who destroyed many of our own ships. She comes from a culture that we have grown to fear and hate. It is the Zentraedi who caused our present situation. They alone prevent our return to Earth, our homes and our beloved families. It is they who have caused destruction and endless suffering."

Rick rose to his feet, stunned that the Captain would even think to say such things at a wedding. Besides Max, Miriya locked her gaze to the table, shame welling with in her as the Captain's words brought forth her memories of all the conflicts she had with the humans. Max sent a heated look towards his Captain, his respect in the man starting to fall as he thought the Captain would be smarter than this. Max darted a look at Rick and saw his stony face as Rick locked eyes with his Captain. The Russian shook his head gently, asking Rick to hold off silently. The Commander gave a sharp nod and returned to his seat. The rest of the assembled crowd were also confused with this. Why was he speaking this way?

"Now, I know what you are thinking," He continued, his voice becoming thoughtful as he spoke. "'Why is he choosing this time to remind us of all these terrible things?' I remind you of these brutal acts, ladies and gentlemen, because we must learn to forgive…not blindly, not out of ignorance, but because we are a strong and willing nation. We cannot blame the Zentraedi for this inexplicable lust for war. They have never known any other way of life, and it is their only means of survival. Nor can we condemn the individuals of that society for the mass insanity of a war machine. Instead, we must look to their good nature. Some have made a request to stop fighting, and I believe it is a genuine request." The assembled Zentradi all nodded their agreement in the Captain's statement, wanting to live a life of peace instead of constant war. "We must respond with equal integrity. The blood of both these young people was tested before the ceremony. Zentraedi blood was found to be the same as human blood."

The startled gasps of the crowd brought the Russian to pause. Around the ship, in space, and more importantly, on Earth with the assembled council, they watched in stunned silence as his words sunk in. They were blood related to another species? It seemed so farfectched and too difficult to believe. Henry continued, his eyes hardening with resolve.

"There is no reason why we cannot coexist in peace. Let this occasion represent a future where all people live in harmony. Each and every citizen must develop a responsible attitude toward the prospects of peace. We must learn from our mistakes. To live with different people, different nations!Think of the challenge! I am not proposing laying down our arms but extending them so that if there is a chance of a peaceful solution, we may find it together!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai listened to the young woman singing on the screen, sorrow filling his being. It was the most strange reaction. Seeing Miriya, one of his most skilled aces, embracing the Mirconian lifestyle spoke more to him than any amount of reports. Though he would never admit, his respect for the Micronians had reached it's utmost height, a point where he was hesitant to launch any attack against against them. Why was Dolza so determined to down play this species? They would make an excellent ally and could bring much knowledge to them. After all, this so called 'dangerous primitive species' had time and again shown themselves to be fully capable. If they were a threat, why would they allow one of his people to under go this bizarre ritual known as marriage to one of their most distinguished warriors? He found himself tapping his foot in time to the beat, dismissing this music as some form of protoculture based propaganda weapon long ago. And the human Captain's words resonated with in his mind, confirming his own thoughts about the possibility of working hand in hand with these tiny impressive beings. It was time for him to take the first step towards that future. "Exedore. I have a mission for you that may very well place us under Dolza's blade."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So...he really went through with it." Donald mused, clicking the television off.

Lisa had watched the ceremony and was thrilled at the Captain's daring attempt to force the UEG to offer a hand of friendship to the Zentradi. "He did Father. And his speech was well said."

"It was at that. Henry has always had a way with words."

"Do you think this will help?"

Donald looked to his daughter's questioning gaze, and sighed. "I hope so Lisa. For all our sakes."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Captain! Enemy vessel approaching off the forward bow!" Sammie cried as alerts flared to life.

"Action Stations! Launch the alert fighters!" Henry ordered. "Ready main canon!"

"Sir! We are receiving a transmission from the Zentradi vessel! The Commander of the ship wishes to speak with you sir!"

Henry blinked in surprise at Kim's words and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Order our fighters to take up defensive positions but they are not to fire on that ship. Kim, is it audio only?"

"No sir. Full communications sir. No sign of any hostile virus."

"No energy readings for her weapons of any kind Captain. They are unarmed."

The bridge fell silent at Vanessa's statement, each sharing a look and not daring to believe that perhaps they were finally willing to come to a cease fire. "Put it through the monitor Kim."

Henry rose to his full height and put a neutral expression as his face as he waited for the image to clear from the static. Barely a moment into his wait, the image cleared and he found himself looking at a man with black, close cut hair, a metal prosthetic covering the left side of his face and his only visible eye was narrowed in curiosity. Henry raised a single eyebrow as he watched the man study them. "Greetings. I am Commander Breetai. Fleet Commander of the Zentradi forces in your system."

Henry inclined his head in greeting before he spoke. "I am Captain Henry J. Gloval, Commanding Officer of the SDF-1."

"Captain, it is an honor to speak with you. You have been a worthy adversary this past year, but I am not here to demand anything off you. I ask that you allow one of my trusted officers to speak with you in regards to a cease fire and possible alliance." His deep baritone voice conveying his honest tone.

"May I ask why the change in stance? You've been rather determined to take this vessel and kill my people."

"Our situation has changed." Breetai replied simply. "I will allow my officer to explain."

"Captain! Numerous small Zentradi Craft approaching!" Sammie was quickly tapping her controls. "Mixed fighter squadron! Sir, one of them matches the information provided by Mrs. Sterling!"

Breetai for his part was already speaking to one of his own officers and snarled, saying something in his native language. The only indication of what he was planning was a sudden surge registered by the SDF-1's sensor.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron savored his soon to be victory as he and his force screamed in on the distracted human vessel. He smirked at the sheer stupidity of Breetai's plan to simply make nice with the Humans. No. When he had heard of his foolish plan, Khyron had contacted Dolza himself to inform him of the treachery by Breetai. To say the Supreme Leader was angry was an understatement. He made it clear that Khyron was to take the SDF-1 by force before wiping all life of the miserable little world. Oh how he couldn't wait to hear those tortured screams. And he could not believe his good fortune to see the Red Devil himself sitting in the enemy fighter formation. He and his fighters dived towards the humans when the first indication of a problem made itself known. A bright flash of light proceeded the destruction of several of his fighters. "What? What is that fool doing!"

As if to answer his question, his screen snapped on to show the enraged face of Breetai.

"Khyron! Cease your attack at once! You are interfering with a diplomatic mission!"

"I have been ordered by Dolza himself to attack." His dark grin flared to life. "He is most displeased in your choice of actions. I only hope he allows me to execute you for treason! Now Azonia!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bright spots in space flared to life as the reaming thirty ships under Azonia and Khyron's combined command flashed into existence. Breetai glared at the information display before a dark smirk crossed his lips. "You are both fools. Do you really think I would not have planned for your betrayal?"

Khyron blinked in surprise at Breetai's statement before the man turned to his communications officer. "Activate the program."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Azonia eyed her display as her ships moved into a perfect firing solution on the massive flagship and the human vessel. She sighed and shook her head sadly. "Such a waste. Miriya...you were the best. Now look how far you have fallen."

She paused momentarily, real regret flaring into her being.

"All ships, engage targets." She could feel the rumble from the charge of the weapons, but something was off.

"Commander! Transmission from the flagship!" A look of panic flared across his face. "Commander! Our self destruct is activating! Reactor is overloading!"

"WHAT!" She bellowed, rushing to her own computer to shut down the self destruct. She hurriedly tapped in her command codes to override the program. "Access denied?"

Her eyes hardened as they feel upon the image of Breetai's ship. "YOU COWARD!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron could only watch in horror as the assembled ships each began exploding. Around him, his fighters died in spectacular flashes of explosions. He had anticipated at least a few Cruisers would be destroyed, but the battle wasn't even joined! He screamed in rage as he turned his eyes back to his display. "Breetai! You are a coward with out honor!"

 _"You should keep your eyes on the battle pal!"_

Khyron looked up in time to see a metal hand slam into his canopy glass. He caught a quick look at the distinctive human fighter as it reared back again. "DAMN YOU RED DEVIL!"

He grabbed his controls and attempted to shake the Micronian warrior off, but to no avail. The final punch shattered through his canopy and connected with his own visor as the humanoid fighter's complete arm reached in. Khyron gasped at the impact, and watched as cracks began to spread. He could feel the air thinning and the hiss as it escaped through his damaged helmet.

"No! NO! I will not end like this!" He gasped out.

The Human fighter looked in at him and he could faintly hear an icy voice speak in the almost completely empty helmet, his lungs burning as the oxygen was pulled from them by space. _"Enjoy having your blood boil."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What's all the ruckus?" Admiral Hayes demanded, stepping into the main control room. "Report!"

"Sir! Thirty Zentradi vessels folded into high Earth Orbit approximately ten minutes ago." A young lieutenant reported.

"This is it then...begin firing procedure for the Grand Cannon and lock onto that battlegroup!" Donald ordered, wishing they had been given more time to prepare.

"We can't sir."

He rounded on the young woman that spoke, his glare caused her to utter pitiful whimper. "And why is that?"

"They've been destroyed sir!" She cried out before shrinking away from the stilled Admiral.

"How? Did...was the SDF-1 able to repel the enemy force?"

"Negative sir. They didn't fire a shot as far as I can see. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were destroyed from reactor overloads. We did monitor a massive power surge amongst the assembled ships."

"Thank you Tech Sergeant. Keep monitoring the area and send a request to the SDF-1 for a report on what we just witnessed." Donald turned and walked to the office attached to the main control room to wait for Gloval's report.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Greetings Captain Gloval. I am called Exedore."

Henry extened his hand to the Zentradi, the alien seemed to be confused for a moment before he nodded to himself and grasped Gloval's extended hand. "A pleasure Minister Exedore."

His black eyes scanned around the room and they landed upon Miriya who gave a bow towards him due to his station.

"Minister Exedore. It is an honor."

"Miriya Parina. A pleasure. And this is the male unit of your marriage?" He quiered, walking over to them and looking over Max. "I admit, your ceremony was quite enjoyable to watch."

Miriya's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! You were able to view the weddding?"

"Indeed. It is actually the reason I am here. Though we are missing a few beings." He stated.

"Excuse me, Minister? To who are you referring?" Colonel Mastriof asked, confusion on his face. As far as he knew, this was all that was needed. Unless he was refering to the underwear model off the billboard ad. Just thinking of that incident when the Minister had asked about it brought a flush to his cheeks.

"I believe they are known as Commander Hayes and Commander Hunter."

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"And that is why we have decided to take you up on the offer you put forth."

Henry leaned back in his chair, hands clasped together as he favored the Minister with a calm look. "I see. So we have little more than two weeks to prepare for the arrival of this Dolza and his near five million ship strong fleet."

"Possible less Captain Gloval. If Khyron had indeed been in contact with him, he will no doubt accelerate his plans to destroy your world before he takes this vessel. At this point, it is probable he will not care if your ship is in one piece or not. Commander Breetai and myself fear it may draw the attention of the RoboTech Masters." Exedore calmly stated, sipping once more at the delicious liquid they had provided for refreshments. "We must join forces to combat the Armada or it will mean the end to both of us."

"How can we stand a chance against five million ships?"

Rick scowled as he eyed Lynn Kyle, on of the people brought in at the request of Exedore and Miriya as he and Minmei had caused the culture shock among the Zentradi. In fact, it was Minmei's singing that had started the Zentradi need for information. They had thought she was a sorceress or something, using a protoculture based weapon to brainwash the masses. To find out that they had been wrong had not only shocked the Zentradi leadership on Breetai's vessel, but had raised different questions about the human. The singular one amongst them was why should the attack a species that seemed to have such potential? Breetai had voiced his concerns regarding the kill order Dolza had sent, stating it was a waste to destroy a potential ally. But Kyle did raise a good point, one Rick was thinking over himself. How could they beat the Zentradi Fleet of that size? Sing to them? He paused and his brow furrowed. Maybe...

"Captain. Minister." Rick spoke up, catching both men's attention. "We all know that even if we use every ship we have in the system, human and Zentradi, we can't take that kind of firepower on conventional."

"Finally. Some warmonger in the Military is using their head." Kyle sneered.

"Shut up Kyle."

All parties blinked in surprise and turned to see Minmei glaring daggers at Kyle. "Rick is no warmongerer. I for one am curious about what he has to say to help us survive."

Rick shook his shock off and gave the girl a grateful smile that she accepted with a short nod and he continued.

"As I was saying, we don't have the man power or fire power to face off against them conventionally." He spoke, the idea coming together in a clearer picture. "Minister, you said the first stirrings of human like behavior showed itself in the intercept team on one of your command ships, right? Not long after the Miss Macross pageant I believe you said."

Exedore frowned, his own sharp mind starting to catch on to what the human was saying. A small grin formed on his face. "Yes. That is correct. And I think the idea has merit!"

"What plan? What idea?"

"It's simple Colonel. We use the lack of culture against the Zentradi." Henry spoke up, smirking as he had realized what Rick was getting at. "From Commander Fokkers report during a skirmish at the time of the pageant, the Zentradi did not react in time to avoid destruction, though several escape pods did launch from the ship. If we were to say, broadcast a recording of the pageant over all Zentradi Frequencies, it would disrupt them and give our forces the edge. We need to win."

"Actually sir, I was thinking it would work better if we used more than just a recording."

"Oh? What do you have in mind Commander?"

"Remember in our report how the Zentradi reacted to Lisa and I kissing?" Seeing Henry nod, Rick continued. "What if...what if we have Minmei singing live? What if she and Kyle kiss like they did in the movie during a live broadcast? The shock value of it would be an even better edge for us to use."

"Hold on!" Kyle cried, rising to his feet. "You want to use us as some kind of military weapon to help you kill more innocent beings? No! I won't do it!"

"I will." Minmei rose to her feet and glared harshly at Kyle. "If it is the only way to save our world, to save those who want to live in peace, I'll do it with or with out you."

For the second time that day, Minmei not only surprised Rick, but the assembled officer as well.

"Minmei, it isn't right what they are asking us to do! Have you even tried talking to this Dolza? Why don't we just avoid the battle altogether!" Kyle countered. "If the odds are impossible, then we should just surrender."

You could hear a pin drop in the room as it dropped several degrees. Rick opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the calm yet stern voice of Minister Exedore. "You seem to laboring under the misguided impression that you can deal with Dolza as you would another Human. You fail to grasp that he has ordered your species destruction. He will not heed your attempts to talk. And if you surrender, it will only make it easier for him to destroy you. Even if the odds are not in our favor, is it not more honorable to fall in combat, defending that which you hold dear? Or would you rather run and be cursed as a coward for all time?"

Kyle opened and closed his mouth several times before he snapped his mouth shut and gave a short nod. "Fine. I'll help. But I expect to be compensated."

"So noted." The voice of Captain Gloval held a tint of iciness to it. "Since you are in agreement, you may leave. I suggest you ready yourself as I have a feeling we will not have long to wait until Dolza arrives."

"With your permission sir, I'd like to get all our birds ready to fight. If we can pull it off, I 'm recommending with modify each of our fighters as we did with Skull One."

"Granted. Minister, I'd like you to remain so we can coordinante a battle plan with your commander."

"Of course Captain." Exedore nodded, a grim look on his face. "I truly hope we are victorious Captain Gloval. Not only is your species future in jeopardy, but also that of the Zentradi. And I sense this battle will be the ultimate test for our two people."

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"What do you mean I can't go back to my ship!" Lisa demanded, anger clear on her face. Donald winced at her tone, understanding her rage.

"I'm sorry Lisa." His tone conveying that he was indeed apologetic. "But with the report from Gloval, we can't risk you getting caught in the cross fire if this Dolza shows up earlier than expected."

Her nose blared as her eyes narrowed. "So you expect me to just sit here like a good little girl while my friends and the man I love put their lives on the line? I don't think so! You're an Admiral damn it! You can make it an order!"

"You are way out of line Commander!" Donald snapped, his own temper flaring. "Do you think I want to be flying a desk instead of up there with them when the time comes? I don't have a choice now that we are on high alert! Any and all air traffic to any space based unit has been suspended and even I can't override the standing regulations. You know that!"

Lisa seethed in anger, unable to accept that she was in effect, grounded. She knew, logically, that her father was bound by the same regulations as she was. But she hated the thought that she would be away from Rick during such a pivotal battle. "Very well, Admiral."

She stormed to the door and grabbed the handle before pausing. She looked directly back at him, her cold, harsh glare gave him pause.

"I swear now, that if Rick dies because I'm not there to support him, I will never forgive you."

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 **A/N: So, what do you think guys and gals? Good or bad? So next chapter will be a big one, and it'll will take some time to work on. If you want to get a RoboTech fix from me, pop over to my RoboTech One Shots. Bout five at present that you should enjoy. Anyway, till next time! theGhostflyer!**


	16. Chapter 16 Saviors of the World

**A/N: Yeah I know. Two updates sixteen hours apart. Don't expect that to be constant! Today I woke up at three in the morning and decided to finish up this chapter and post it a bit early. I think you guys will ike this one, and I wonder who'll catch the references I placed in it? Anyway, as I said, it's pretty character development heavy and some good action in it so it should be enjoyable. And if you guys haven't read my one shots yet, give them a read over as I should have another one posted sometime today. Anyway, read and review! And Guilio, if Lisa Hayes showed up, I would not complain one bit! That's no threat period even if she uses her secret weapon on me!**

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Chapter 16 Saviors of the World

Rick walked across the hanger bay, his eyes studying the fighters he came across. It amazed him to see what they had accomplished in a matter of hours since the meeting between Exedore and the command staff of the SDF-1. As he approached the main auditorium, he could feel his nerves at the coming battle. He mentally sent Lisa his love as he entered the room and stood tall as he walked before his pilots. His eyes spotted Ben Dixon and Sarah Williams sitting with his new squadron. Because of the need for men for this fight, Ben had been placed in command of the reconstituted Black Knights. Thinking of the battle plan he had been hashing over with with Roy, Miriya, and his father gave him hope things would work out. Where as Skull was going to be carrying a mixed load of anti Mecha and Anti ship missiles, Ben's would be engaging Capital ships, armed with Reflex warheads with an expanded ejectable launcher systems as the fleet attacks. He would be joined by Wolf, Purple, Green, and Red squadrons in attack runs. Rick watched as Ben gave his love a small smile and leaned in to whisper something reassuring that Rick couldn't hear. Sitting back with Vermilion, Max was telling a joke of some kind that had a few of the pilots around him laughing like loons while Miriya was looking at him confused, probably having not gotten the joke. The newest member would be taking Ben's place as Second in command and no one could question her abilities. Rick himself had watched the simulator practice and felt secure in the knowledge that she would be flying with them. Max would be leading his squadron along with Ruby, Gold, Blue, Silver, Ghost, and Yellow with mostly anti mecha weapons. It would be in his hands to help keep the sky clear for the attackers.

Rick looked at the assembled pilots, his pilots and felt a swell of pride in his chest as their eyes fell on him as he walked to the podium. He favored his men with a smile and a nod as the lights dimmed, the projector humming to life and displayed a map of near Earth orbit. "Good morning. As you all are aware, the main Zentradi fleet is currently on it's way towards us as we speak. We don't know how long it will be until it arrives, but we need to be ready to launch at a moment's notice."

The slide changed and displayed what looked like a tree stump or possibly a chunk of drift wood that stood out in the center of the image. Dolza's station.

"This is our target. The Zentradi call this a Fulbtzs Berrentzs Class Home Base. This is the enemy command and control and is labeled as priority target. The station isn't itself very well armed for it's size, relying more on it's escorts for protection than it's own weapons. But it is armed with three thousand plus missile launchers so it does have teeth to use."

The slid changed once more and Rick took a small breath. "That's why Tiger flight will be providing ECM for us in addition to their duties as AWACS craft during this battle. With every plane we have in the air, along with supporting battle pods, the bridge will be involved in too much to constantly issue battle orders. Tiger, you guys have the squadron assignments, so make sure you get with those commanders once we finish up here."

The ten pilots and RIOs nodded their understanding as Rick continued, all eyes falling on the picture of the Zentradi on the screen.

"This being behind me is named Dolza. Supreme Commander of the Zentradi Fleet. From the intel provided to us by Commander Breetai, Exedore, and our very own Commander Miriya Sterling, this man will be on board their Home Base during the attack. He is our ultimate target. If we remove him, this all ends. From what we have learned, there is no contingency should he be killed. We're going to use that to sow discord into the enemy ranks. He's their King piece and once we get him, check mate."

The projector snapped off and Rick could see a few of the pilots nodding or mumbling something to each other. At least until one of his pilots, a young dark skinned man shoved his friend off his shoulder with a rather loud exclamation "Get off me".

"Something add Lieutenant Hiller?"

"No sir. Just a little anxious to get out there and kick E.T.s ass sir!" He replied, completely straight faced. Around him, the chuckles erupted and Rick had to smile. Seeing his men keeping their anticipation in check and even having a bit of fun made him confident they would succeed.

"You'll get your chance. You'll all get your chance." Rick spoke, his face smirking as he crossed his arms. "I see no finer pilots than the ones before me in this room, and I can't tell you how proud of you guys I am. No power in the universe can stand in our way and live. Because we are the Air Wing of the SDF-1! And we are the best there is, bar none!"

The pilots let out cries and cheers at his words. Max popped to his feet, his eyes shining and his back straight, his person screaming authority. "ROOM! Attention!"

All pilots and even some of the ground crews who had shown up to hear the brief, rose to their feet, heels snapping together with a thunderous clap. Ben, his professionalism slipping into place like a second skin barked out his own command. "Present arms!"

Rick was stunned seeing them all snap a sharp salute, all eyes showing the faith they had in him and in their victory. It was humbling to see all of that. He did the only thing he could. Rick returned the salute and fought to keep the smile off his face.

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Henry sat in a hive of chaos, a single point of calm in a hurricane of movement and sounds. His eyes took in the main sensor display and watched as the Allied forces formed around his ship. As per agreement with Breetai, the SDF-1 with it's more powerful primary cannon would lead the thrust into the enemy fleet. From there, Breetai's vessels would provide cover for them as the pushed into the enemy lines where they'd be able to fire their main weapon at point blank into the enemy station. When asked how it would arrive with out a fold system, Breetai explained that the overlapping fold spheres of the Imperial Fleet would allow it to be brought along with them with minimal damage. Henry was kind of hoping something happened that would rip the eyesore apart during defold but doubted he would be that lucky. "Commander Grant, any response from headquarters?"

"No sir. Not to us at least." Her annoyance was plain as she continued. "I've intercepted orders to all RDF Assets to remain out of the fight. Any one that disobeys orders will be dismissed and court marshaled. They're burying their head in the sand."

Henry lowered his gaze, his cover casting shadows over his face as he hummed thoughtfully. "Get me a system wide broadcast Commander. I want everyone receiving this."

Having an idea of what he intended, she went to work immediately. Not only would she need to to put it out on all channels, she also need to make sure the RDF couldn't jam it. And that mention a fractal algorithm that would bounce the signal carrier every few seconds. Just long enough for the data to flow at a delayed rate, but quick enough to prevent jamming. Or so she hoped. Henry rose to his feet and smoothed his uniform, waiting patiently for his Officer to finish. He saw her sharp nod and took a deep breath, his face calm and his tone serious.

"To all allied units in this system...and to all RDF Military Units and installations on Earth and Luna. Ten hours ago, this ship received intelligence that a massive enemy armada will very soon be on it's way to Earth. A fleet numbering in at 4.8 Million ships and countless fighters all primed to wipe life from our planet." He began.

Around the world, Henry's solemn face was displayed on televisions, computers, even the massive displays in Times Square. All eyes were watching and all ears were listening.

"Many of you are no doubt thinking that this is an invasion fleet perhaps. That they are bringing so many ships to enslave our species and turn our home into their own personal play thing, to do with as they wish. I wish that were so. For the truth is much worse. These beings are coming to our world not to enslave us...but to exterminate us. To them, our way of life is new and frightening. One which they have no understanding of or experience with. It is this culture shock that scares them. It is because Zentradi Soldiers are seeing a life beside war and death, a life they now desire to lead if they so choose. That is why Dolza, their Supreme Commander fears. He fears his control will be lost should this spread through his military. We have a word for men like Dolza. Tyrants. And now this tyrant, leagues above even Hitler, has his sights set on our species, his blade drawn. I promise you now, I will not sit idly while this monster does as he wishes. I will stand, and I will fight! For this is my home! And I will not allow a Tyrant come to my home and cause harm! I will not!" Henry thundered, his eyes blazing with rage at the thought of Dolza's plans.

"That is why, as of 1923 hours yesterday, I have entered into an alliance with the Zentradi forces in our system that wish to join us as friends and not enemies. The few thousand ships will join in our defense. I know the odds are not in our favor. And that is why I am asking, no pleading, that anyone out there who will join us in turning back this tyrant, will stand up and fight back! It is time we as a species stand together and push back the darkness that threatens to destroy us! We will show them that humanity will never go quietly! Never break! And that we will fight no matter the odds...this enemy will not allow us to surrender. And we won't. Please, help us to win this. We will maintain our current position near lunar orbit to head off the enemy, and if we should stand alone, so be it. But know, the men and woman of the SDF-1 will not turn tail and run. We will fight. And if we fall, we will make sure to take as many of them as we can with us. Captain Henry J. Gloval, signing off."

The Captain fell silent as the bridge crew looked to him, their confidence rising that they would come out on top. Exedore stepped beside Henry as the tall Russian pulled his pipe from his pocket and turned it in his hands, the actions calming him more than if he had lit it.

"Powerful words Captain. I can only hope your people will join us in the battle to come."

"As do I Exedore." Henry agreed, "As do I."

"Sir! Increase in radio chatter from RDF Installations world wide!"

"I'm picking up sixteen contacts breaking from Earth Orbit!" Sammie reported. "Looks to be two ARMD carriers and sixteen Oberth Destroyers! Sir, they are signaling their request to join formation!"

"Fighter squadrons are being scrambled world wide sir! MCAS Miramar and Wright Patterson just went to high alert!" Claudia's astonished voice called out. "Headquarters is screaming bloody murder! Wait...incoming transmission from RDF Alaska base! Admiral Hayes is issuing a general broadcast!"

"Let's hear it Claudia."

The speakers pop with static before the gruff and commanding voice of Donald Hayes blared to life. "All RDF Defense force assets, all Units are to scramble for possible incoming enemy contacts. All personnel are to go to Code One Alpha status. As of now, I am taking full command of all Earth based defenses. Let's do this right people. Alaska Base out!"

"Satellite defense systems are coming online Captain! Sir, everything Earth has is standing ready for engagement!"

Henry had to blink the tears from his eyes as for the first time since this war started, they were not alone anymore. A smile crossed his lips as he nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Begin launch! All hands, Action Stations!"

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"Call for Commander Hunter. Commander Rick Hunter, you have an incoming call!"

"Right here!" Rick called out, hefting his flight helmet under one arm. The little robot turned and rolled over to him.

"You have a priority call from Commander Lisa Hayes."

"From Lisa!" He breathed and grabbed the headset. He waited for the few moments it took before the video panel kicked on, displaying the face of his girl. He smiled brightly at seeing her. "Hey Bright Eyes! You picked a good time to call! We're getting ready to launch here."

 _"Rick! In that case, I'm glad I did."_ She paused, her smile faltering. _"I'm sorry I can't be there with you Rick. Until this is over, I've been temporarily reassigned as flight controller here at Alaska Base."_

"Hey! That's fine! They'll need your talents there to help coordinate the defense."

 _"I know Rick. But...I can't help but feel...Rick, do you think we can even win this?"_

He'd never heard her sound so lost, so afraid. Even when they were captured by the Zentradi, she never once broke. But then again, this was a completely different situation. Unlike before, the Zentradi were only trying to catch them and this time, Dolza was bringing both barrels to bare. Rick could understand her fear and even felt it himself. But...

"We have a good chance to Lisa." He told her confidently. "I can't say anything over the phone, but we have a plan that should help us even the odds."

 _"But...what about you Rick? What if...what if this is..."_

He furrowed his brow until he spotted the tears welling in her eyes. He gave her a small smile. "Hey now. None of that. We'll make it through this. Promise!"

 _"Rick. You can't promise that. Remember what you told me last time?"_

He sighed and conceded her point.

"You're right. I can't promise you that. But I will sure as hell do my best to make sure I survive! Besides, I still have an important question to ask you and I'm not dying until I do!" He joked.

Lisa smiled and nodded her head. _"Even though I think I know what it is, you better make sure you come back to me. If you die, I will be most displeased with you. And don't think that death will save you! I'll storm right into hell and drag you out by the ear. Then kill you for dying on me!"_

Rick could easily see she was fighting hard to keep the tears back, and he understood just how close to breaking she was. She was trying to be strong, like she always was.

"Well you know just how to motivate a guy!" He exclaimed, trying to keep the levity going. "Why hell though?"

 _"You cause too much trouble."_

He opened his mouth before closing it, favoring her with an amused grin. "Point taken. Look, Lisa, we'll get through this. I need you to do me one thing though, okay?"

 _"Anything."_

"I need you not to worry about me out there, alright?" His face was serious as he locked eyes with her image on the screen. "I want you to keep your mind focused only on your duty. I won't fly right if I know I'm worrying you. Please."

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. _"I-I'll try not to worry about you."_

"Do or do not. There is no try." He quoted, hoping she'd catch onto what he was trying to do and it seemed to work. Lisa remembered the conversation they had the night they first kissed and gave an emotional smile.

 _"Alright. Just...I love you."_

"I know."

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Breetai stood calmly, hands clasped loosely behind his back. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling that comes before a battle. When a warrior makes peace with himself and all he has done. Every battle he had been in, Breetai had always reflected upon his life. The peace before the storm was the sweetest feeling to him as it allowed him to let go for those few moments and take it all in.

"Commander! Energy flare 700,000 kilometers from Earth's moon!"

Breetai's eyes flashed open, a predatory gleam in them as he turned to his main display. "Show me."

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"Listen up, all voice in the choir! We just got a flash alert from Bravo one! Massive energy distortion has been detected 700,000 kilometers from Lunar Orbit. Squadron Leaders, form your squadrons and stand by for attack orders."

Rick clicked his com off and thought back to the mission planning from yesterday evening...

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"Once we've managed to distract the enemy fleet, it will make it easier for us to get through to the command ship. Once we get with in range, the SDF-1 will target the main energy transfer conduit with the primary battery. We knock out the power, the missile defenses and communications go off line." Roy explained, showing the simulation results on the display. "Calculations show a 78% probability this will work. No other battle plan shows near the same success potential."

"It's not going to work." Rick commented, his eyes locked on the display.

Pop, Roy, and the Captain turned as one to face him, while Exedore gave a thoughtful look. "And why is that Commander Hunter?"

"Yes Rick. Why won't it work?" Roy asked dryly, annoyed that Rick didn't have faith in the plan.

"It's a text book strike sir." Rick explained, staying formal as he pointed to the display. "Pushing through the weakest point of the enemy defenses is a smart move, especially if we break off groups of say, fifty capital ships with supporting frigates and destroyers. That'll sow chaos into the enemy lines. With our fighters superior weapon loadouts and maneuverability, several flights could break off and carry out deep strike attacks on the enemies flanks. But it's predictable. Basic fleet to fleet engagement on a massive scale. Using the SDF-1 as a scalpel would be the most logical thing to do and I'd be surprised if Dolza hasn't considered that. And that leads to the fact that the plan won't work."

"Alright Rick, we're listening." Pop crossed his arm and gazed upon his youngest son.

"We need to use that to our advantage. Turn his expectations to our favor."

"You're talking outside the box here Rick."

The younger man's eyes shined with determination. "And that's what we need to do here. Think outside of the box."

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Rick pulled himself back to the present as he and his men came about to an intercept heading for the oncoming enemy fleet. He could clearly see the fold distortion and steeled himself for the coming battle.

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"Fold confirmed sir! Reading four point six million contacts holding at 700,000 kilometers."

"Grand Cannon to full charge sir! Enemy is holding out of range."

Donald sat in his command chair, calmly eyeing his display, unease setting into his stomach. This was it. The what would be the final devise battle for Humanities future.

"All stations, enemy contacts have been confirmed. Stand by to commence counter attack." He ordered. "This is going to get ugly real fast people, but keep your heads. We have the home field advantage."

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"Asgard Control, Gremlin. Contacts confirmed. That's a lot of targets boyo."

"You're right on that Gremlin. The wankers in range yet?"

"Not yet. Partial soft lock for HAMMER system. Wonder what they are waiting for?"

"Whatever it is...NEW CONTACTS! Holy Mother of God! 200,000 contacts under the HAMMER!"

"Shite! Hardlock silos! Fire!"

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Across the Continental United States, missile silos opened their mighty doors. Throwbacks to the old ICBM programs, the silos had been re-purposed by the RDF to hold their high yield reflex warheads mounted atop the redesigned TITAN II ballistic missiles. Named Dragonsteeth, these weapons were near ten times more powerful than any weapon ever fielded by human forces. With loud roars, the large rockets took flight on plumes of smoke and fire, climbing to the heavens. Around the world, panic rose to new heights as sirens blared to life and the call for all civilians to report to disasters shelters wailed through the streets.

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"Where the hell did they come from?!" Donald demanded. "How did we miss 200,000 ships?!

"Sir! The enemy defolded directly into low orbit!" A young radar tech reported, her fingers dancing over the keys. "Defense missiles have fired sir! HAMMER Grid is moving to target."

"Stand by to follow with the Grand Cannon. Make sure they clear the lane once they've gotten their shot off."

In orbit of the planet, dozens of satellites the size of city buses began rotating in space as energy began to coalesce on their ends. Each satellite of the HAMMER Grid was nothing more than a remote control reflex cannon, rated for one quarter the power of the main battery of an ARMD Carrier. As shown by the human warships, those weapons were extremely effective against the hulls of the Zentradi ships. The only draw back was each satellite required ten minutes to recharge after each discharge and there were not even third deployed that the RDF had ordered. The Zentradi ships, sensing the power spikes, began to turn, having originally ignored the small objects to there back. They would realize their mistake as beams of pure energy shot forth, searing into hulls and engines with deadly effect. Each beam was targeted to one ship and with in moments, one hundred and twenty Zentradi vessels disappeared in flashes of light. And additional fifteen were knocked from their orbit, their engines flaring before they sputtered out, all control lost. Taken by surprise, the human missile salvo finally made orbit, spent booster stages jettisoned as two hundred high yield warheads screamed towards the enemy ships.

While heavily armed and armored, the Zentradi warships lacked any dedicated point defense systems, instead relying mostly on their fighter support and bulk to protect them from any kind of ship to ship missiles. What few laser batteries they had spun to life and began tracking the incoming missiles. Blue bolts flared from the guns, trying to hit the incoming barrage. But they had made one fatal flaw. These missiles were leaps and bounds over any that had every been encounter by the Zentradi War machines. Once the on board microprocessor detected any kind of active targeting towards it, it began what was coined as a 'wobble', creating the image of an unstable flight path that would make it harder to hit. Small compressed nozzles of chemical reactants ignited as the missiles began their final coast towards the alien fleet, the spent rocket motor sailing ahead of the slowed warheads. From the spent stages, four small panels blew off and they began broadcasting a false signature of a more powerful missile, acting as a siren call to any kind of counter missile systems. The spent husks tumbled forward, dozens being felled by the lasers bolts that were fired. It's not to say the enemy didn't catch their fair few of the actual warheads, but they only managed to drop twelve, leaving the rest to impact deep into the enemy racks.

Massive balls of fire blossomed in the enemy lines, scoring dozens of kills per detonation. Even those that survived the ship killers didn't come away unscathed. Blacked hulls, peppered with superheated debris, emerged from the flames as they died down, some vessels having sections open to space, others hung dead as the drifted by. Donald watched as the image cleared up, frowning. They'd managed to destroy nearly a quarter of the 200,000 ships in orbit with near five hundred mission killed, either unable to move under their own power or no weapons.

"Lane is clear. I say again, Lane is Clear!"

"Fire the cannon!"

The barrel of the Grand Cannon glowed a deep, hellish orange before the energy beam surged forth with the roar of an angry God. The pure beam parted the clouds as it arched towards the heavens, the heat off the beam evaporating the few clouds that were not displaced from it's passing. Based off the main battery from the SDF-1 herself, the Grand Cannon was near fifty times more powerful. And it showed as the beam seared right into the heart of the enemy formation. Ships melted as the beam passed, hulls shattering from the stress it's passage generated. The concentrated energy beam's emitter rotated, sending it sweeping through the enemy ranks. The swath of destruction burned scores of ships from orbit as it traveled until it faded from view moments later, the few survivors of the devastation were burning wrecks. In the control room, Donald watched the automated computer tallied the total kills, stunned at his very core at how effective it was.

"Total kill count coming in! 115,576 kills tallied! 1,5000 mission kills with 60,000 heavily damaged contacts."

"Still leaves us around 23,000 enemy ships that are probably pretty pissed at us right now." Donald noted. "Get that cannon recharged! Let's see how our rail guns do. Asgard, Alaska Base. You may fire when ready."

"Aye sir! Hold onto your teeth people! It's going to get loud!"

One of the many projects Donald had put forth was placement of rail gun batteries consisting of four guns per emplacement with most major cities holding ten such placements, RDF bases having two. The world wide total was near 59,000 guns. At present, he only had two thousand to use as most were still under construction. Still, two thousand batteries equaled eight thousand rounds in the air at once. Outside Alaska base, what looked like four tuning forks rose on their cradle, electricity crackling and flicking off the post before a resounding boom sounded, shattering windows as the rounds were fired. The Zentradi were still dealing with the last attack when the electromagnetically propelled rounds, each weighing in at one hundred tones impacted at hyper sonic speeds. One Zentradi ship, a battle cruiser, took six such shells to her keel. The metal vaporized on contact with the round as the speed and heat of the projectile was well outside what the designers had ever anticipated. Two punched clean through her engine block, severing power lines and shutting the engines down. Three shattered her back splitting her in two. Many other vessels also fell prey to the deadly human weapons, some simply shattering under the added stress to the already wounded frames, other vanishing in fireballs from direct reactor shots. Once the salvo cleared, over nineteen thousand zentradi warships emerged from the devastation, main batteries glowing an ominous blue.

"Time to full charge?" Donald hissed out as he watched the live feed of the surviving enemy warships arrange themselves for a clear shot at the planet and the few ships they had left moving into range to fire on the enemy fleet.

"Thirty seconds!"

"Enemy fleet firing!"

Donald closed his eyes briefly as he watched the weapons fire tear into the ships that attempted to shield at least some small part of the surface, already knowing it was a useless gesture. He could feel the blasts from the impact, feel the Earth rumble under the cataclysmic power being unleashed. The power flicked as several blasts flared to life around the base. "Grand Cannon has been hit! Emergency systems shutting down the reactor! Rail guns are gone! Silos six, ten, and eleven destroyed!"

"That's it then..." He paused and looked to his staff, all of them looking towards him for hope as power conduits exploded from the surges. "Set HAMMER Grid to auto then get to the shelters. All of you. Asgard, you have control!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Enemy fighters confirmed dead ahead." Rick called out to the assembled fighter. "Skull, loose formation. Target enemy fighters and what ever you do, stay the hell out of the SDF's firing solution!"

The white and gold fighter eased forward, the missile packs attached to her hull stood out making her look meaner than she did with out. He could see the flashes of light from the Earth Defenses handling the 200,000 ships that had folded ahead of Dolza's main fleet. Logically, Rick knew that the new systems would not be able to handle all of the enemy warships. Even with the Grand Cannon, they were still heavily out matched. Sending a prayer for Lisa to be safe, Rick nudged his throttle forward, moving to intercept the enemy fighters.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Miss Minmei, are you ready?" Henry called to her through the com line.

 _"Yes Captain. We are both ready here."_

"Excellent. Commence with the plan!" Henry barked.

The music began, a slow melody at first, before picking up the tempo as Minmei began her song. Henry waited patiently as Claudia worked her controls with help from Kim and Vanessa to spam all Zentradi Battle frequencies with the live event. "Lock forward batteries! Monsters, Vanguards, and Phalanx, stand by for target designations!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Commander Breetai! The Humans have begun their tranmission! Shall we move to engage?"

"All ships, form up into your assigned squadrons!" Breetai ordered. "Separate at your assigned points at maximum velocity and keep that corridor open! Ahead full! All batteries, commence full barrage! Burn them from the stars!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Zentradi cruisers, missile ships, heavy cruisers, and the massive flagship took defensive positions around the transformed fortress as her engines flared to life, urging the massive ship forth towards the on rushing enemy fleet. Captain Gloval watched calmly as they approached, waiting for the sign that the transmission was working.

"Enemy will be in range in twenty seconds Captain. All fighters are moving to engage leading hostile units. Allied Fleet have commenced attack!"

"Flash'd all their sabres bare, Flash'd as they turn'd in air, Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while all the world wonder'd: Plunged in the battery-smoke, Right thro' the line they broke." Henry quoted softly as he watched his men and woman boldly riding into the on coming storm. Exedore faced the man, his brow furrowed in confusion to the Captain's words.

"Captain Gloval?"

He glanced to the alien beside him before turning his attention back to his display. "An Earth poem of war. It describes a battle fought in the 1800s between British forces and my Russian ancestors. British forces had intended to send a Light Brigade to prevent Russians removing captured guns from overrun allied positions, a task well-suited to light cavalry. However, due to miscommunication in the chain of command, the Light Brigade were instead sent on a frontal assault against a different artillery battery, one well-prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire. Although the Light Brigade reached the battery under withering direct fire and scattered some of the gunners, the badly mauled brigade was forced to retreat immediately. Thus, the assault ended with very high British casualties and no decisive gains."

"Curious you would quote a failed military operation." Exedore noted, making Henry smile.

"It may have been a failed charge, but the bravery of those men is what was celebrated. They knew it was suicide to follow through with the attack, but they pushed on." He frowned in thought as he looked back over his display. "Much like we must do."

"Enemy ships in range sir! Commander Breetai has requested we punch our hole!"

"Target beam spread, direct front. Fire!"

Space lit up as the main guns of the SDF-1 spoke. Fire flared into the enemy formation as ships were vaporized in seconds, tearing deep into the field of battle. On board the station, Dozla watched the ensuing conflict between his mighty fleet and these feeble Micronians. As the beam died down, hundreds of ships moved to filled the hole blasted into their lines, and he smirked. "You think I have not prepared for that tactic? Pathetic Micronians. You will die."

However, he was unaware of the transmissions from the SDF-1 as his direct link was the only command line the humans and their allies had no access to. Which meant he did not realize his forces were starting to freeze as they were bombarded by the imagery and music of the small Micronian female that had set the domino's toppling out of his favor. Rick gripped his controls as he locked onto the leading three cruisers that were attempting to maneuver for a firing solution on the SDF-1.

"Skull One! Fox Three! Fox Three!"

From his pylons, the six reflex missiles shot forth, screaming in on the first of the three vessels. The impacts of the powerful explosives blew away hull armor, exposing hundreds of meters of the ship's pressurized interior to space. Zentradi and debris were sucked into space as the ship began listing to port, it's maneuvering thrusters cut out and she began to turn lazily as she rolled. The next missile slammed were Miriya had informed them the CnC would be located and Rick watched in amazement as the explosion shattered the dorsal lateral members of the ships spin. Coupled with the uncontrolled roll, the ships weakened super structure gave and she tore herself apart. Rick was forced to roll away from his attack run as thirty seven enemy battle pods dove on him. Shifting to battloid, he turned and shot forth, charging the enemy formation as he trigger the micro missile packs attached to him. Dozens of small missiles shot of and impacted into the enemy mecha, decimating the first wave of fighters. Rick trigger his gun pod as he merged with the enemy formation.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ben was angry. No, strike that. Ben was furious! During the opening moments of their attack, his squadron had expended their missile pods, racking up a few dozen Capital ship kills, but it seemed like they were fighting a hydra. Every ship they killed, two more seemed to take it's place. And he'd just watched two of his pilots die. There was one thing no one knew about Ben. The reason he was always so cheerful. Because when Ben Dixon became enraged, it would be a bad day for whoever was on the receiving end of his anger. His fighters hands darted out, grabbing one of his expanded packs that had been jettisoned, and hurled it into an approaching pod. The impact was like watching a hammer hit a loaf of bread. It was spectacular as he darted forward. Every time his gun's spoke, a target died. He fought to keep himself from fully loosing his control on his temper as he triggered two missiles, his final two, that flew into an approaching formation. The missiles, designated as anti capital ship weapons, detonated with the force of a MOAB, shattering sixteen enemy fighters in moments.

"Knight One! Bandit at your six!"

Ben's eyes widened as he turned his fighter in time to see a command pod rushing towards him, it's guns ready to fire. He felt as if time slowed to a crawl, thinking that this was it. At least until a certain yellow trimmed fighter transformed behind the pod. Ben watched in fascination as the Battloid grabbed hold of the startled pod and hurled it into a passing Zentradi fighter, both craft exploding from the collision. Ben shook his head as his rage cleared and turned back to the fight, his gun sending three short bursts into an offending Gnerl. "I'm going to marry that girl!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Let's dance big guy!" Max cried as he spun his mech around, dodging six concentrated blast aimed toward him, his blue Veritech hummed as it moved with the grace of a dancer. Behind it, in a dark red Veritech, Miriya seemed to be almost disappointed in the opposition. "What's wrong honey?"

Her predatory grin set a fire in his belly as she shot down two more approaching battle pods. "I expected better from Dolza's personal guard. Pathetic."

Max swallowed hard as he and Miriya let loose a dozen micro missiles apiece and gave her a mock stern look. "You really need to stop looking so beautiful when you fight. I might just forget what I'm supposed to be doing."

She smirked.

"Keep your eyes off your conquest Max Sterling, or you won't live to enjoy it!"

Max chuckled and almost with a lazy after thought, speared a rather energetic fighter with a casual grace. "But God do I love that woman!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa was frantically trying to raise anyone as enemy fighters began to over whelm the few intact squadrons that were still ground side. It was turning into a massacre for them. Most major cities had been leveled by the Zentradi Reflex Cannons and now their combined air power was steadily whittling down what few air wings the Eath had left. It all felt so hopeless as more debris fell around her. Was anyone still alive? There! An active com line coming in! It was her father! "Dad! You're alive!"

The image of Donald Hayes winced as he gripped his obviously broken arm, his uniform torn and his cover long gone allowing Lisa to see the massive gash across his forehead. His right eye was shut tigh as the blood ran down his face. "Lisa...you need to get out of there! The Grand Cannon is gone. Took a direct hit. The command center isn't going to hold much longer."

Her eyes widened in fear as he spoke, alarmed as a calm smile appeared on his face, the sight of smoke and fire behind him showing just how bad the damage truly was. "I'm sorry Lisa. I failed. But you still have a chance. Tell Rick when you see him...tell him I said yes. I'm so proud of you sweetheart. I love you Lisa. And I will always watch over you. You-"

"Father..." She covered her mouth as a massive explosion cut him off, killing the camera. Tears spilled from her eyes as the truth hit her, "No...No! Daddy! No! You can't be dead!"

Her anguished sobs joined the silence of the dead around her.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai was enjoying himself. This battle would be one for the ages! His ships and men were fighting with a fierceness that made him proud to be their commander! He stumbled as his ship was rocked once more by enemy fire and his officers called out their reports.

"Last four squadrons have broken off and are attacking enemy units!" The green haired warrior called out. "Weapons are down to forty percent. Hull breeches in sectors five, ten, and thirteen. Pressure doors have sealed."

"Range to target?"

"Fifteen Kilometers. Human vessel is accelerating! They are going to ram the station!"

Breetai nodded and saluted the Humans as they charged forth, undaunted by the threat before them. "Order all ships to pull back! Offensive withdrawal! Besides, we still have the ships in orbit to deal with."

The weapons officer growled his own approval and went about relaying his orders.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Henry gripped the arms of his command chair tightly as the SDF-1 tore through bulkhead after bulkhead, deeper and deeper into the mighty station. He only hoped this plan Hunter had come up with worked. After what felt like hours, but was seconds, the damaged but still capable Battlefortress broke through into the massive hollow opening inside the station. Dolza's first indication that anything was wrong had been when the human ship had slammed into the outter hull. The second was the explosive decompression alarms that came to life as the atmosphere kept inside the chamber was sucked viciously into space. Due to the path that had been taken by the humans, over thirty percent of the Home Base was now exposed to the hard vacuum, critical relays having been severed meant they could not seal those ares off to minimize the damage. He growled as he turned and watched the vessel float towards the his observation point, rage welling up inside him. "You dare..."

Missile bays, tubes, and launchers all opened from hard points and the Phalanxes locked down on the hull of the vessel, exposing thousands of reflex missiles, including two large high yield planet crackers that had been fitted onto the ship before her ill fated hyper space jump. Henry smirked as he saw the Zentradi leaders pure rage. "Fire all missiles and raise the Barrier!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick groaned as consciousness returned to him. He'd taken a full missile salvo and had barely managed to survive. Unfortunately this left him almost completely unarmed aside from his laser. He couldn't help but chuckle as he realized that his fighter literally had no arms! "Damn. Good chance for a disarmed joke but no time to tell it!"

Shaking his head, he checked his gauges, wincing as he saw heat warnings as he entered the atmosphere. A quick check showed his reactor was running low, which meant he had enough to land, but not enough to make orbit. Point blank, the damage done was pretty severe. He ejected the missile launchers and what remained of the arms before he shifted back to fighter mode and closed the heat shield. "That's better. "

He sat in silence as his fighter descended through the atmosphere, his thoughts going towards the last few seconds of the battle he had witness. The sight of Earths smoldering surface. Human and allied ships drifting towards the planet, spewing smoke and other gases as the dead ships passed by. He felt his fighter shuddered violently as it broke through the cloud cover. Dreading what he was about to do, Rick retracted the canopy heat shield and got his fist glimpse of the surface. Craters, smoke, and fires all greeted his eyes, his heart dropping as he watch secondary explosions pop off below him. "No..."

Rick closed his eyes, fighting to keep control of his emotions and almost missed the weak com signal. Hitting the switch, Rick was hoping their was someone alive down here. "...ka...as...Hayes..."

"Oh God...Lisa!" Rick quickly tapped a few controls and responded to the incoming frequency. "Lisa! It's Rick!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

To Lisa, there was no sweeter sound than Rick's voice answering her call for help. She had thought she was all that was left. "Rick!"

 _"Lisa, thank God! Are you still at Alaska Base?"_

"Yes I am." She sobbed. "But...I can't get out. The doors won't open."

 _"Hang on! I'm coming to you! Just keep broadcasting!"_

"Rick..." Her tone was think with emotions. "My father...he's..."

She couldn't even say it. It hurt too much. Rick seemed to understand, and kept his voice level as best he could. _"It's going to be okay Lisa. I'll be there in less than fifteen seconds!"_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Rick arrived at Alaska Base, he groaned as his computer tagged the transmission source near the bottom of the main barrel for the cannon. He knew he didn't have much time as energy readings were sky rocketing, a sign of a massive reactor meltdown in progress. "Of all the...Lisa, I'm entering the barrel now! Keep back from the door!"

Skull One dove into the gaping maw, Rick manipulating the controls and shifting his wounded Veritech to it's guardian configuration. Once more his mind pulled forth the disarmed joke and Rick was seriously concerned that he had a possible concusion. Clearing his hazy mind, he focused on flying down the corridoor, pulling up short at the massive steel doors. A deft flick activated the laser turret and the four beams seared through the think metal blast doors, cutting a perfect circle. Rick hoped from his cockpit as the metal fell away and found himself on the opposite side of the hall from a shaking Lisa Hayes. His voice was barely above a whisper as he breathed her name. "Lisa."

The young woman gazed at him, both of them frozen for a moment before they ran into each others arms. She broke down, sobbing into his chest as her whole body shook with grief from the events over the past two hours. All the death and destruction that she had witnessed and the lose of her father. The man who had done his best to save the planet. "Rick...it's all gone."

"I know." He spoke softly, gently rubbing her back. "We need to get out of here Lisa. The reactor is going critical."

She nodded and tried to walk, but she felt weak. Rick, not pausing, scooped her into his arms and carried her back to his fighter. Using what strength she had left and with Rick's help, they managed to get into the cockpit with her tucked closely to his body.

"Here. You wear this." Rick stated, putting hi flight helmet on her head. He didn't give her a chance to argue and closed the canopy, bringing his fighter around as the ground began to rumble. "Hang on Bright Eyes."

Shoving his throttle forward, Skull One tore off down the hall as massive secondary explosions began to fill the base.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"No signal on the com lines." Rick muttered.

Lisa watched as he tried to raise anyone before she turned his gaze out across the destroyed landscape. Not far from them was what appeared to be a lake that hadn't been there before, but with the damage done to Earth, it would be a wonder if everything turned out okay. She shivered as the harsh wind tore at her thin uniform jacket, catching Rick's attention. He pulled her back into his lap and held her close. He'd shut the canopy, but an explosion had sent shrapnel into the glass bubble, shattering it.

"I hope we're not the only ones left." She muttered into his chest. "After all that..."

"I'm sure the others made it. The plan was crazy, but it had a good chance."

"I just...we should have heard something by now." She looked into his eyes, seeing his own worry. He pulled her close and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Lisa. We'll get...You hear that?" He questioned looking around for what sounded like music. "Almost sounds like..."

Both gasped as the radio signal gained strength, clearing for them to hear unmistakable sounds of Minmei. Rick looked up and grinned, Lisa following his gaze. Multiple fireballs soared over head but her eyes found what he had seen. Coming down from the sky, looking every bit the mighty warrior it was, the SDF-1 descended. The roar from the massive engines was audible even at the distance they were. Lisa felt tears begin to fall down her already tear stained cheeks as Rick grabbed the controls. "You ready to go home?"

She turned back to look at him, smiling before kissing him once more. She pulled back and her emerald eyes connected with his. "Home for me is where ever you are Rick."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Pure agony. That was the first thing he felt as the pod opened, blasting him with the cold sterlie air of the bay. He hunched over, retching as his body fought to clear the nutrient solution that always left the worst taste in his mouth. Gasping as he wiped the mucus like substance from his mouth, he struggled to stand, his body felt weak. Blinking several times to clear his foggy vision, he spotted a familiar, somber face before him.

"Report!" His voice was rough and scratchy as he coughed up more of the solution.

"Dolza has been defeated. The micronians used the same energy bubble they used before." The man reported. "Most of his fleet has been destroyed the the resulting explosion and the surviviors have allied with the Humans."

His mind was reeling. How? How had they pulled off a victory? "What is our status?"

"We pulled back to the fourth primary to effect repairs and await your revival."

"Azonia?"

"No sir. We do not have her memory files in our system. What is the last thing you remember sir?"

The man's crazed eyes narrowed as flashes of memory came back to him. "Breetai betrayed us Grel. He is a coward! And I will have my revenge on him and that Red Devil! They will pay!"

Khyron's insane laughter filled the bay.

* * *

 **A/M: Ha! And you guys thought that crazy bastard was gone for good! Little bit of an extrapolation on my part as we all know the Zentradi clone themselves when they lose warriors. So, in my mind this begs the question, how do they keep them the same in personality? Answer: Each time a Zentradi Warrior goes into battle, their pods take a snap shot so to speak of their brains, updating the older memory files they have for them. When a warriors vitals flat line or the pod computers sense imminant destruction, they are transmitted directly to the ship they took off from or where the pod was originally assigned as long as the ship in the same system. Nothing like the Cylon Resurrection Tech in BSG(Remastered), but still comparable. And it makes sense with the fact the Zentradi clone themselves.**


	17. Chapter 17 Recovery Part One

**A/N: Alright kiddies. I've decided to break up the original chapter 17 among three chapters. All three will deal with the direct devistation of the Earth from the Rain of Death. So no real action per say, there will be a few skirmishes from some Malcontent Zeds but the main focus will be on how they even got the Earth Habitable again. I've put off my normal review responses, so I'm doing that this chapter.**

 **andrewjameswilliams: Appreciate your reviews as always. I strayed from the bulk of the fleet engagement, but I plan to use it in flash back sequences to show the effect it had on our favorite characters. War brings monsters out in you. And I plan to use it to help show how it affected the men and woman who fought. Even the effects of the Rain of Death. In this storyline, they're pretty much still in shock till mid way into the final part of the Recovery Arc I got going. And as for Khyron...he still has a part to play and trust me when I say, when Rick puts him down, he'll be put down for good! And yeah, Russo just had to go. Dude just rubbed me the wrong way ya know? And really glad to hear that about Second Chances man! I'm anxiously awaiting your next chapter!**

 **Giulio The Roman: Where ya been buddy? Anyway, to answer your review, I'll have more fluff, don't worry. Not alot in the chapter, but there is more coming! Promise! Still, send Lisa anyway. I sure as hell won't complain! And yeah, Roy will show up a bit more here soon and even with a promotion to boot!**

 **sscaldwe: See, what bugged me is that Khyron didn't run to Dolza behind Breetai's back. It would have been perfectly expected for the Betrayer. As for Azonia...she was kinda annoying to me and tended to side more and more with Khyron as time went on. Sure, she wanted to kill him a few times, but if Dolza had found out Breetai's plans to ally with the Humans, she'd have been on board with killing everything. And as for Breetai's plans...he was the Fleet Commander. He would have had access to all the ships protocols (The Recall he did springs to mind!) so it made sense he could override any commands given and just tired of the games from the two and said "screw it! You die now!"**

 **JayDog75: *Bows* Thank you thank you! I thought so too! I'd had a slightly different plan for Russo where he actually just walked out of his office in anger, forgetting to shut off his Classified com line thinking he would be safe from any backlash when Admiral Hayes brought up the security breeches. And glad you're still following! And dude, Chapter Ten in Darkest Before the Dawn...the dialogue was freaking perfect! From the RDF officers to the Micro Zeds...just amazing!**

 **And if you haven't checked over it yet, Oneshot was updated and up to 7 separate shorts. I should have another written and posted before work tomorrow, if not, right after. Anyway! On to the show!**

* * *

Chapter 17 Recovery Part One

Rick made his way through the corridors of the SDF-1 at a brisk pace. It had been fifteen hours since the orbital bombardment that most were starting to call the Rain of Death. He felt it was an apt name, morbidly apt to be perfectly honest. The destruction was disheartening. Most major cities had been wiped out in the North American continent with a good number over over seas cities nothing more than smoking rubble. Luckily for the Human race, most of the damage had been done to the western hemisphere so while there were a massive number of casualties, it wasn't has bad as it could have been. Though with a death toll approaching two billion world wide, and that was expected to jump even higher with all of the environmental damage done, it was still a dismal situation. Between lowering global temperatures coupled the now rapidly collapsing ecosystem, he didn't see how they could even survive. Rick quietly entered the briefing room, feeling exhaustion setting in as he took his seat with the other senior officers on board. Sad fact of the matter, they were the senior most officers left in all of the RDF. The top brass had been clustered at Alaska Base while other high ranking Officers had been in the field, trying to rally the waning forces for a successful counter attack. It was a nightmare.

He glanced around and noticed that Lisa was absent from the meeting and frowned. He understood of course, after all, she had just lost her father and adding to the fact that every squadron she had been assigned to had been wiped out. He had tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, that she had done nothing wrong. He tried everything he could to cheer her up, or at least talk to him. But she had been silent since they returned and Rick ended up having to take off for a search and rescue mission to try and locate any survivors. It hadn't been very successful.

"Captain on Deck!"

"Please, remain seated." Captain Gloval's gruff voice commanded. "I have called you all here in response to the disaster we have suffered. And to outline just what impacts to our planet we can expect for the foreseeable future."

The lights in the room dimmed and every eye turned to the display. It looked like an weather model, though there was a lot of angry red areas swirling around. "This is an image of the current dust closed kicked up by the bombardment along with the radioactive fallout from the destruction of Alaska Base, and the leaking reactors from the many Zentradi ships both crashed and in orbit of our planet."

The massive red blot on the map grew larger and larger in size, encompassing most the planet as it simulated the radioactive dust clouds growth and passage. Newly promoted Colonel Edwards, one of only three other survivors from Alaska Base, eyed the cloud with his angry gaze. "How long is this simulated run? Days? Weeks?"

"Hours." Henry grimly replied. "In ten hours, most of the planet will be doused in highly radioactive particles. With in days of exposure, millions, if not hundreds of millions will begin to show the onset of severe radiation poisoning. Not to mention we don't have complete numbers on those killed from the tectonic activity or tidal waves ravaging the coast lines around the world. And that is the minimal estimate."

"What's the worst case estimates sir?"

"Complete loss of the planet." Henry replied to Rick's question briskly. "However, we have some good news on that front. Our new Zentradi Allies have offered to help begin immediate evacuations of the areas ahead of the cloud. They have also offered us the use of their filtration systems to use to begin clean up procedures."

"Are you really trusting the Zeds to help us?" Edwards demanded. "They caused this!"

"You forget Colonel. The Allied Zentradi in no means participated in such actions against our planet. The ones at fault are either dead, or being held on on their ships with no weapons or fold systems." Henry corrected him. "The fact of the matter ladies and gentlemen, is we need their help."

"Sir, what about the people in the already affected areas?"

Henry gave a regretful look as he pulled his pipe from his pocket. "They have already been exposed to lethal levels of radiation. Response crews from the SDF-1 are already moving to at least ease their suffering. We do not expect many survivors in those areas to pull through."

The room feel into a somber silence at the Captain's statement. Rick and Lisa had both been treated for radiation exposure themselves, but they were lucky as the amount they had been exposed to was not lethal and within the range the anti radiation medicines could handle, but they both would need to be annually checked for any kind of negative reaction such as cancer and other radiation induced aliments. Rick wasn't sure what else Lisa had been told as she had exited the examine room, looking completely devastated. She wouldn't even tell him what had been said before he was rushed out on the search mission.

"If we do accept the offered help," Colonel Masitrof began slowly. "How long would it be before we can begin resettling?"

"Forget the resettling. Where are we going the other survivors out there? Even if we get that radiation filtered out, we have a complete collapse of our planets ecosystem. No grass, no crops, no animals. Hell, half of the US is a wasteland now!" Edwards countered.

"We will provide what aid we can. To answer the earlier question, in two months, we can fully filter the radiation to a more normal level, maybe slightly higher than. After that, we can begin reseeding the planet with flora and fauna that is stored here on the ship." Henry explained. "We will never fully recover what we have lost, but it will allow humanity to survive."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa stared at the bulkhead of her quarters, tears running down her cheeks. In less than two hours of combat, she had lost her father. A man who had tried his best to make up for the mistakes he made years ago. And then, after that hit, most of the Earth was leveled by high yield reflex cannons. But the worst hit to her...the one that hurt her even deeper than her father passing, was the exam she went through once she and Rick had gotten back on the ship. The Doctor had told her that her exposure was much higher than Rick's had been, since she had actually been in the base and exposed far longer than Rick had. She had been lucky as even another ten minutes would have sealed her fate, but there was a massive uncertainty...

"Commander. With your exposure..." Jean paused, trying to find someway to soften the blow she was about to deliver. "There really is no way to say this easily."

Lisa gripped her uniform skirt hem, her gaze lowered to her lap. "Just tell me Jean. How long do I have left?"

"You're not going to die anytime soon. The prognosis is positive there." She sighed. "Lisa, I hate to tell you this, but while you will live, the damage done by the radiation will probably make it very hard, if not impossible for you to ever conceive a child. I'll need to run a few tests to be absolutely sure."

That news had destroyed her. She had numbly walked out of the room and hadn't noticed Rick at all. It was only after he had left for the mission that she'd realized he'd led her back to their quarters and made her a cup of tea. She had been in shock. Now, she was in pain. Her door opened slowly and the form of Claudia seemed to materialize by her side. The woman's eyes were showing understanding and comfort and Lisa finally lost all her composure. Claudia could only embrace her almost sister-in-law tightly as the woman sobbed.

"Jean told me what happened Lisa." She stated gently. "I know it's hurting."

"I...I just..." Lisa sobbed, fighting to get her words out. "I've always dreamed of having children. And now...that dream is gone!"

"Hey. Jean told me she has to check some things before that's a fact, not a possibility. She's hopeful the damage isn't as bad as it seems. In fact, there's a chance it can be corrected medically."

Lisa only cried harder. "I wish I could hope too Claudia. And Rick...we talked about having a family someday. What do I tell him? That I'm broken? That he'll never have a child with me?"

"I could live with that as long as I have you." A soft voice called from the doorway.

Both woman looked to see the pained look on Rick's face as he took in Lisa's anguish and pain. Lisa turned her head, unable to look at him. Feeling she was no longer whole. "You deserve someone who can give you a family Rick."

His eyes flashed as he saw her pull the ring off her finger and set it on the table, his empathy waning and being replaced by irritation as she rose to her feet and started to walk to her bedroom, wiping her face. "You stop right there Lisa Hayes."

She froze at his heated tone, but made no motion to turn around and face him, her shame in herself rising to unbearable levels. Claudia winced at his tone and looked between the two several times as Rick walked into the room and crossed his arms over his chest, his expression unreadable.

"Claudia. Can you give us a minute?" It was not a request.

Seeing his face, and the anger in his eyes, she gulped and gave a quick nod before making for the door. This was something they needed to work out and damned if Rick wasn't scary when he was pissed. Though Claudia did agree that he had the right to be from the foolishness Lisa had just spouted off, or the stupid stunt of placing the promise ring she had went with Rick to pick out for the devastated woman. Rick waited until the door shut and let his words come forth. "Of all the stupid, most foolish shit I have ever seen or done in my life, what you just did topped them all."

He watched as her shoulders shook, her voice weak and pained. "You deserve someone whole Rick."

"Bullshit!" He growled. "The only thing I deserve is your love."

She finally turned to face him, but it wasn't sadness he saw on her face. It was rage, pain, and regret all rolled into one. "No. Not me. Not anymore."

"Lisa." He stepped forward, a threatening tone to his voice. "Use your head here. Why do you think you aren't whole?"

"I'm damaged goods Commander Hunter." Her tone was cold and harsh.

Rick blinked in surprise before he narrowed his eyes. "Don't you ever talk about yourself like that."

Lisa's eyes blazed as she stormed to him. Rick, for his part, stayed right where he was as she stopped right in front of him. "Get. Out."

"No."

"Get out, right now." She hissed. "That is a direct order Commander."

"First off. You've been medically relieved of your commission until the doctors finish all the blood work and test. So no orders from you, Miss Hayes." One finger went up. "Second. Leaving you alone, by yourself in your current state is the stupidest thing I could do. Third...I promised I'd be with you through the good and the bad."

"Get out!" She screamed, and for the first time she slapped Rick. Hard. He was rocked back from the impact but recovered quickly, never making a noise or a wince. He kept his arms crossed as the angry red hand print stood out easily on his right cheek. Lisa glared at him, part of her hating what she was doing but if she didn't force the issue, he wouldn't wise up and find someone else. The other part of her was screaming at her to stop, to listen to him. It was breaking her heart but this was the only option she had. She suffered too many blows in the last twenty-four hours and her mental state was suspect.

"No." He reiterated. "I will not leave you." _'Damn she hits hard though.'_

Lisa screamed and raised her hand to slap him again. Rick, having already taken one hit, grabbed her raised arm quickly, and pulled her around into his chest, trapping her arms. Lisa's nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. He just wouldn't take the hint to forget about her. She stomped down on his foot, eliciting a howl of pain from him as his grip lessened just enough for her to free her arm and slam it full force into his groin. He let out a strange high pitched whimper as he hunched over, but not before Lisa turned and clocked him in his jaw. She had misjudged the height difference and sent him spinning to the side, crashing into the coffee table, though not breaking it thankfully.

Rick groaned and weakly rose to his knees, thankful he had anticipated the groin shot when he had pulled her into his chest. "Oh God..."

"One last time. Get. Out."

Rick looked up to her, his eyes defiant, unwilling to give ground and leave her.

"No."

She gave a scream of anger and pounced on him. He was ready and caught her wild swings. He used his body mass and manged to pin her to the ground. "Dammit Lisa! Stop! You're not running me off!"

"No! If I don't, you'll just leave me anyway like everyone else I've ever loved! First my mother, then Karl, and now my father! No one who loves me ever stays!"

Rick's eyes widened in realization. "You think...you really think I'll ever leave you? Is that what this is truly about? That I'll run when things get bad?"

She glared harshly at him for a moment before she broke down, her tears spilling as her eyes begged for his forgiveness for the hurt she had inflicted on him. "Please...just...leave me alone Rick. I...I don't want you to regret staying with me and leave on your own accord."

"Lisa. I know it hurts. I do, really I do." He spoke gently, letting go of her hands that he had pinned above her head. "And I know you want children. So do I. But in a choice between having you in my life or having children with some one who isn't you...I'd choose you every single time. I love you too damn much to let you go. Not over something like this."

"Rick..." She croaked out, her hand running over the angry red hand print. "I'm sorry."

He smiled and sat up, pulling her to him. "It's okay."

"No." She sobbed, clinging to his chest like a life preserver. "No it's not."

"You've had a lot happen to you in the last day Lisa." He said with a soothing voice, his hand rubbing her back to calm the distraught woman. "But you're not alone here. Not anymore. You have the Captain, Claudia...the gossip queens too."

Her heard her chocked laugh and smiled, his joke. "And you have me. I'm staying, despite the ass kicking you just gave me."

"Rick. Please...don't leave me." She begged, pulling back enough to see his face. "Please."

He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I won't. Not in a million years."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ouch. She really kicked your ass Skipper." Max remarked with a wince as he stopped by Rick and Lisa's quarters. Seeing his friend with a swollen hand print on his face concerned Max. Miriya merely cocked an eyebrow in response to his appearance.

"Where is the little spitfire?" Max asked curiously, looking around.

"You call me little again Max Sterling and no one on this ship will stop me from knocking you into next Friday." The threatening voice of Lisa sounded from behind Rick.

Rick smirked and jabbed his finger behind him, towards the bedroom door as Max's face drained of color. "Right there."

"Commander Hayes." Miriya greeted, stepping around Rick to speak to one of the few woman on the ship she knew. "Max and myself stopped to see how you are fairing. Commander Hunter informed us of the loss of your father."

She looked to Rick who gave a shake of his head, signaling he had said nothing to the pair other than the half truth he told Max. All he had said was she was extremely upset and he had said something stupid that set her off. It was believable with how Rick tended to speak with out thinking at times.

"Yeah. I don't know what the Skipper said that set you off, but I'm not going to chance a beat down."

"It's just something I overreacted about Max." Lisa told him, still fighting to keep her emotions from overtaking her once again. "Rick and I talked about it after...well..."

She made a gesture to his face and the others nodded in acceptance. Claudia had laughed herself silly when she came back in to see Rick holding an ice pack to his groin while Lisa held one to the hand print, running her hand through his hair and apologizing for hurting him. She was just glad they had worked it out and was extremely pleased to see the promise ring back where it belonged. Speaking of Claudia, she was currently watching the proceeding events from the Kitchen, busy fixing some of her stronger blend tea she kept just for occasions like this. "Hey! Looks like everyone is here!"

"Hey Ben! Lieutenant Williams." Rick greeted as Ben arrived hand in hand with Sarah Williams. "Didn't know you guys were stopping by."

"Oh wow sir. What happened to your face?"

"He pulled a Hunter." Max supplied as he and Miriya moved towards the counter.

"You still don't think before you speak?" Ben asked deadpanned. "I learned that lesson a long time ago."

Sarah gave a tsk as she glared up at Ben. He grimaced. "Well, mostly."

"Ben wanted to come and support Commander Hayes in light of...well..."

"Yeah. Times like these, you need friends!"

"That's very kind of you Ben." Lisa spoke from beside Rick, sadness still prevalent in her speech and expressions.

"Well now. This is a surprise indeed." A deep baritone voice sounded from behind newest arrivals. Ben hurried out of the way, pulling the smaller woman to the side to show the tall form of Captain Gloval. The man stooped his head and entered into the room, seeing most of his senior officers and pilots already there. "I wished to give you my condolences Lisa. And to deliver this."

He held up a single memory stick and placed it in her hands, his expression one of sadness. "I knew your father for many years. And while he was not with out his faults, he was one of the few I knew that I could call my friend. I think I do not have to tell you how proud he was of you and all you have accomplished."

Lisa looked to the small drive in her hands, tears falling from her eyes before she hugged the Captain. Henry enveloped her in his arms as she sobbed, understanding the pain she felt.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

 _"Lisa. If your watching this...well...I'm probably dead. Or you found this lying around if I forgot to put it away. If that's the case, ignore this and put it right back where you found it young lady! You're not too old for me to paddle your behind!"_

Lisa gave a teary laugh as the image of her father gave a glare at the recording device for several seconds before his face softened. Donald rubbed the back of his head, looking uncomfortable as he spoke.

 _"If I am dead, well, I hope I went out fighting. Fighting to keep you safe and for a better future for you. I know I used to say I fought for the human race...but...well, I fought for you my daughter. You and your mother. I know...well I know I wasn't the best father to you growing up. Usually away on some mission or project I was working on. Your mother was never very happy with me for it but she knew. She knew why. Damn does it feel weird to record this. I'm talking like I'm already gone. Which if you are still watching this I am...but...oh hell, you know what I mean!_

 _"I plan to leave this recording with Henry. He's a good man and one I can trust. Not that I don't trust Ol'Mitch, but...he can embellish tales at times. Something his son seems to avoid doing. Commander Hunter, if you're next to Lisa, watching this, I have a favor to ask of you. Please keep her safe for me and love her always. I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot and if I haven't apologized yet, I want to say I'm sorry. You're a good man and more than worthy for her in my opinion. Maybe one day I can actually tell you in person. Or maybe not. Need to make sure you fear hurting her. Just avoid her right hook if she starts swinging."_

Rick held Lisa close as the image of the man seemed to smirk in a knowing manner. Lisa was trembling as she watched the recording, their friends silent as they watched with them. Behind the pair, Claudia rested her hand on Lisa's shoulder.

 _"Lisa, I know you weren't very happy with me the other day, and you were right. Even when you called me an arrogant ass hopped up on his own power to make some one miserable if he so desired. You don't know how much that reminded me of your Mom when you said that. You both are so alike, and I'm blessed for that. I know no words I say will make things right now. I'm hoping to talk to you when I stop by the SDF-1 in a week to hand this to Henry to hold onto. You know, before you were born, we were so sure you'd be a boy. You kicked so much Dianne was convinced we weren't having a daughter. But you proved both of us wrong. The day you were born...God I remember it like it was yesterday. When the doctor announced it was a girl, I couldn't believe that for once, your Mom was wrong! Before you came along, she had an uncanny knack for calling things that turned out true. But we didn't care we were wrong. From the second I saw you and held you for the first time, I knew I had the most beautiful little girl in the world."_

The proud smile on Donald's face brought fresh tears to Lisa's eyes.

 _Seeing your little hand gripping my finger, I fell in love with you instantly. Watching you grow over the years, it only reinforced what I already knew. You have grown into a beautiful, smart, and strong woman. One I am proud to call my daughter. I wish I could put into words everything I need to say or have left unsaid over the years. But I don't. I hope I can tell you in person, find the strength to do so. I'm not asking for your forgiveness for failing you. I just want you to know how grateful I am and how proud I am. I love you, my little firebug. No matter what you think or how I've acted, I have never felt other wise. I have to go know sweetheart, but remember, your mom and I will always be watching over you. And it's not good bye. Not really. We'll see you again but it had better not be for a million more years._

 _"I love you my darling daughter. Stay strong for me."_

The recording ended as Lisa wept silently, her tears felt hot against her cheeks as they fell. Around her, her friends bowed their heads in respect for the man. It took a lot on courage and strength to have recorded that. And to take responsibility for any pain he had caused his daughter. Rick himself felt his already high respect for the man jump several notches. He held Lisa as she cried, whispering she forgave him over and over again.

"He was a true warrior."

Eyes snapped to Miriya as she looked to the blank screen, her gaze showing her respect. "The strength he had to have when he recorded this message was more than any I have seen before."

"Yeah. I agree." Max spoke up.

The assembled group muttered their agreement as Lisa cleared her face of her tears. Rick looked to her with a curious expression. "Firebug?"

She gave a sad laugh, her mind pulling up the memory.

"I was seven and tried to make a pot of tea like my Mom did." She smiled sadly. "Set the stove on fire by accidentally knocking cocking oil on the flames."

"See Max?" Miriya pointed to Lisa. "I'm not the only one who did it."

"Miriya, she was seven. You're not." Max countered.

The room erupted into laughter as Miriya glared at a smirking Max. "I never cooked before."

"You cooked the coffee pot." Max corrected with a chuckle, seeing what Miriya was attempting to do.

"Is that what the fire alarm was about the other morning?" Ben asked curiously, half turning in his seat to get a better look at his best friend.

"Yup."

"Huh." Ben looked thoughtful. "I'm getting you guys a fire extinguisher for your anniversary."

Miriya huffed and turned away, though she glanced at Lisa, seeing the woman laughing. On the inside, she was applauding herself. She had read some information before she and Max came over on how to help a friend deal with loss. Most had advocated being there in the time of need. Others recommended humor as a way to help them cope. Max seemed to have picked up on her attempt and she would most definitely let him know her appreciation of helping. His tall friend, Ben, had good timing.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"California is pretty much gone. The San Andres took too many hits."

Henry grimaced as he looked over the video shot by the Catseye recon flight as he watched massive slabs of rock and rubble slid under the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Sadly, the report wasn't finished.

"We've managed to tap into the few seismographs left and are seeing tectonic activity all around the world. Half the dormant vulcanos have decided to wake back up. Hawaii is now slag."

"So much for that vacation spot." Maistroif muttered, his eyes narrowed as he looked over the data.

"That's not all. Japan is pretty much gone. The impacts were strong enough to completely reshape the planet. All of the plates are moving around. Tsunamis created from the event have washed away almost every coast line. Hell, the UK is under fifty feet of Atlantic Ocean." Emerson reported. "Dear God...Henry, we've been screwed here. Even if we manage to repair the damage to the atmosphere with these filters the Zeds are dropping for us, we can't settle anywhere until the planet settles down."

The Captain nodded his understanding and sighed. "This is grave news indeed."

"And that's not even touching on the fact that yellow stone is pretty much a ticking time bomb. Remote sensors are recording massive heat increases and toxic gas emissions. If the plate stretches out and relieves pressure like we think it will, it shouldn't blow. But to be honest, it looks like a bunch of pin balls bouncing around."

"So where do we stand? We didn't manage to save even a fraction of the survivors world wide before all of this happened. We have maybe half a million souls left to the human race."

Henry clenched his pipe in his rock hard jaw as the men before him began to speak. They crossed the line when one snarked that at least North Korea was finally removed from the picture. "Enough!"

The room quieted as Henry took a long drag on his pipe before speaking.

"We have only a little more than five hundred thousand men and woman left. The Zentradi have offered to give us ships to help house them. I have agreed to accept this offer." He raised his hand to stall the arguments coming. "I am well aware our people blame them. That is why I discussed with Commander Breetai of crewing those vessels with a mixed Human -Zentradi crew. It will help to ease possible tension if the survivors see Human Military members working with our allies. Gentlemen, we really have no alternative here. Not until the Earth has settled. Do we have an idea when that will be?"

"Maybe...four months?" Emil frowned. "It is hard to estimate but if the numbers match, we should be able to start bringing people back down in a little as four months."

"Then it is settled. Commander Hayes. Please work with Minister Exedore in gathering officers and enlisted men for the hybrid crews."

Yes Captain. May I make a suggestion?"

Henry looked to his Executive Officer. He could see some lingering pain from the loss of her father and if what he had overheard between Commander Grant and Captain Fokker, the possible radiation damage that could prevent her from ever having children. It had been one week since he had delivered Donald's final message to her. The man had recorded one for him and Mitchell Hunter as well. But she seemed to be handling it with help from her friends and most importantly, her loyal lover, Rick Hunter. "What is it Lisa?"

"Miss Minmei is a major part of our morale sir. Perhaps she can help us to ensure a peaceful transition?" She offered. "And if I may sir, Rico, Konda, and Brom would also be assets to help us integrate our two people."

"That's a good idea." Ememrson agreed. "We can use all the help we can get here."

Henry blinked in surprise, having not considered that. Though he had been awake for close to thirty-six hours; running on nicotine, caffeine, and sheer will power. "I agree, See to it Commander."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa groaned as she dropped onto the couch in her and Rick's quarters, kicking her shoes off. The feeling of sweet relief brought a sigh to her as she undid the fastenings on her uniform tunic. Today marked the end of the two week long effort to combined crews on two massive Zentradi battleships that had room to spare. She leaned back, closing her eyes as she heard the low music coming from the kitchen. She could smell the delicious meal Rick was diligently cooking with a surprising amount of skill. He seemed to be a natural since he started. She heard his foot steps as he exited the kitchen and opened her eyes and burst out laughing. He was holding a large pan with one hand and a wine bottle in the other, humming to the music. It wasn't him humming or his awkward handling of the pan and the wine. It was the frilly pink apron he wore that proudly bore the phrase 'Kiss the Cook' is baby blue letters. He grinned at her as she laughed. "Dinners ready Bright Eyes!"

"If you plan to eat wearing that apron, I'll probably choke from laughing!" She giggled. "What did you make?"

"Chicken Alfredo Broccoli Stuffed pasta shells!" He declared proudly.

"Chicken what?" She asked, baffled. She'd never heard of such a dish but had to admit it smelled great. "How bad is the kitchen?"

He huffed in mock annoyance and shooed her from the door as she approached. "It's not a Level 5 HAZMAT site. Just sit down while I go grab the garlic bread real quick."

Lisa laughed at his statement and made for the table as he walked to the door before he paused and looked back to her, his grin wide. "Oh, and home made fudge for desert!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The night had been wonderful. The food was great, far better than she had expected. And the fudge! She could have sworn her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her taste buds screamed in delight. She couldn't believe how much skill he had gained in the few months since he started. And he had even been such a romantic, turning it into a candle lit dinner. It was the best night she had had in a long time. She sighed and looked lovingly at him. Rick smiled, but she could see he was nervous about something and it made her feel a flash of concern. "Rick, that was wonderful!"

"Glad you liked it!" He chirped cheerfully. "I found the recipe in the database."

She narrowed her eyes slightly as she felt he was being too cheerful. "Rick...what did you blow up?"

"What?"

"What did you do that has you so nervous?" She questioned, watching him squirm in his seat.

"I didn't break anything!" He responded defensively. "And I didn't blow anything up."

"Uh huh." She drawled, resting her elbows on the table as her hands supported her chin. "Then why are you fidgeting?"

He sighed and rose to his feet, his hands jammed into his pockets. This put her on edge as he moved to her side, looking at her with a nervous expression. "You remember when I gave you that ring? Well, when you found it anyway."

"How could I forget." She couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"That ring was a promise to you that one day, I would make you mine." He gulped and slowly lowered himself to his knees, hands pulling out a small box. "What I didn't tell you, was I bought the engagement ring the same day."

Her eyes went wide and her hands flew to her mouth, stunned as he kept his eyes on the box. "I thought it would be a while until I felt the time was right. Kinda didn't want to feel like I was rushing you or anything. But..."

He took a deep breath and looked to her, seeing her eyes wide with surprise as she watched, unable to speak.

"Well...Lisa, I can't imagine a life with out you. We've been through a lot since we started dating. In these past five months, we've been captured, escaped, I almost died, and we won a war. We've laughed, we've loved, and we've cried together. I wake up next to a Goddess every morning. One that came way out of left field. You turned my life upside down and inside out. You've made my life some much brighter. I was..." He paused and had to fight back his own tears that welled up in his eyes. "I was broken. I didn't know I was until I had you beside me. I want...no...I need you by me for all time. And, well, I sent a message to your father, not...not long after you landed on Earth. When you told me what he said, you asked if I knew what he meant."

She nodded her head slowly, smiling brilliantly as she tried not to cry but was failing. Rick had told her it was his blessings for them. She had thought he was referring to their relationship. It hadn't even crossed her mind he had meant for this.

"So, I'll ask you now Lisa."

He took a deep breath before locking his eyes on her. "Lisa Hayes, would you do me the honor, and make me the luckiest man in the universe? Will you marry me?"

Lisa couldn't speak at first as the seconds ticked by. Rick waited, his nervousness mounting by the second before she rose to her feet and spoke. "Stand up Commander. That's an order."

Rick slowly stood up and gave her a questioning look, feeling like he was going to be sick from how nervous he felt. A fear erupted into the back of his mind that she was going to say no. He didn't expect her to reach out like a rattlesnake and pull him into a kiss that curled his toes. They broke apart, Rick gasping and blinking in surprise for a moment before looking at her in confusion. "Was that a yes?"

"You're still a dense man Rick Hunter." She wiped her eyes and smiled warmly. "And if you think I'm going to say no, than you're an idiot."

"So...that's a yes?" He asked, a smile slowly crossing his face.

Lisa held her left hand out and gave a shy smile. "Yes Rick. Yes I'll marry you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy was startled awake by the loud ringing of his phone. Blinking several times, he glared at the evil device before picking it up, one eye still closed as the bright white light lit up his face. Beside him, Claudia muttered unintelligibly as she rolled away from the light. Roy growled in annoyance as he say Rick's name on the caller ID and jabbed the accept button. "If you're not dying, I will kill you for calling me at two in the morning."

He could hear Rick laughing and his irritation rose to new heights. He was just going to hang up on Rick, but a feeling that he should at least hear him out before he murdered his little brother overrode his desire to terminate the call.

 _"Well Rick. Figure you'd like to know you'll have a sister-in-law soon!"_

"Rick, I'm well aware Vince and Jean are married. If you forgot, they've been married."

 _"I was referring to Lisa. She said yes."_

Roy was not fully awake so it was understandable he didn't quite make the connection with what Rick was saying. "Well good for her! Thought she'd have better tastes than to marry a guy like you. Congratulations on your engagement. I'm going back to bed."

Roy clicked the cellphone off as Rick was in the midst of laughing, and rolled back over, pulling Claudia to him. He sighed as he felt sleep coming back to him until Claudia muttered a question. "Who was that Roy?"

"Rick." He muttered tiredly, his eyes still shut. "Lisa said yes to his proposal."

"Hmmm...that's nice for them." She sighed.

Silence fell for several seconds before both of them snapped their eyes open. Claudia looked back to Roy as his jaw was slack, both shouting in unision "They're getting married?!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This was pretty evil Rick." Lisa stated, cuddling into Rick on the couch as they enjoyed the closeness, Lisa admiring the ring that now shone brightly on her hand. "Claudia might kill you."

"This was payback for them calling us at four in the morning." Rick chuckled. "Roy knew better and still let it happen. Besides, you agreed it would be funny."

"You have a point there!" Lisa laughed before she continued. "How long do you think it will be until they react?"

"Knowing how Roy is and what you told me about Claudia. I'd say right about..." The phone blared to life, displaying Roy's name on the device. "Now."

* * *

 **A/N: Hope this answered a few questions posed by you guys and we have more chapters left than I originally anticipated. About eight more. So we ain't done yet! Drop a review and please check out my RoboTech Oneshots Folder! There are a couple good ones and number 7 makes me giggle still. And I wrote the thing!**


	18. Chapter 18 Recovery part Two

**A/N: Okay, so part two of three for the initial recovery section. This one has some more details and character growth and more than a good portion of action in it. Leave a a review and don't worry, I'm not rushing anything despite what you may think after reading this chapter! Really not much to say in this opening note. I'll let you guys just get right to reading.**

* * *

Chapter 18 Recovery Part Two

Rick groaned as he shuffled down the hall to his quarters. It was one of only three days a month that his duty shift didn't match up with Lisa's duty rotation, but Sammie was a decent controller none the less. No, his exhaustion was from the four hour brief he had to sit through that ended up becoming a bickering match between Edwards and everyone else it seemed. The final conversation he had with the man only put Rick on edge. His instincts just screamed at him to watch out for the man, that he was a danger to them all. He gave a growl in irritation towards the man and opened his door, hearing Lisa's shocked gasp. Curious, Rick shut the door as he entered and peeked his head around the corner to see Lisa, Roy, Claudia, and Pop seated around the table. Roy was trying hard not to laugh as Claudia was shaking her head. Pop was grinning and nodding his head to a stunned Lisa as she spoke with a stunned voice. "He didn't!"

"He didn't what?" Rick made his way further into view and greeted Lisa with a short kiss before he turned his gaze to his smirking father. "What story are you telling now?"

Pop's just continued smirking and shrugged. "Just a few tales about your younger years."

"The time you broke the light switch while going lights on, lights off." Roy chuckled.

"Or the time you ran out the front door completely naked when you were three." Claudia answered nonchalantly.

"But the one I'm telling is the one that still gives me mixed feelings." Pop laughed.

"Oh no. Hell no." Rick glared, crossing his arms. "That story goes to grave with me, you, and Roy."

Lisa's eyes sparkled with amusement as she rested her arms against the counter, not looking away from Pop. "I out rank him. Go ahead and tell it Mister Hunter."

"Come now Lisa!" Pop laughed with a wag of his finger. "You're engaged to my boy! Call me Pop like these two knuckle heads do! Even Claudia calls me Pop!"

"Okay then...Pop." Lisa smiled shyly as she rested her head with her hands, arms propped up by the counter as she ignored Rick's scowl. "I want to hear the rest. You said he was out by the hanger with a girl..."

"Her name was Amber." Pop continued, his gaze becoming nostalgic. "She was the daughter of one of our pilots that took a shine to Rick. And he seemed to like her. Well, this dimwit here, decides to take her out to stargaze. Where we lived, there was very little light pollution so you could see everything from the galactic dust to almost every star out there it seemed. Ones you can't see if you lived in the city. Jen loved how it looked when we bought the house after Rick was born. She was a city girl herself you know, from New Jersey."

Rick pouted as he listened, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he remembered that night himself. One of his worst moments and he knew Pop and Roy would never let this story go. Lisa raised and eyebrow and looked to Rick who was looking anywhere but at her. "Why that's a very romantic date. Why haven't we done that yet Rick?"

"I doubt the night would end the same this time Rick!" Roy teased, his easy grin plastered across his face. "I'm sure you've learned a few tricks by now!"

"Oh shut up Roy!"

The room erupted into laughter as Pop was trying hard not to laugh as he spoke. "So, I'm in the house, going over some paper work for the air circus and Roy's kicked back on the couch watching some crazy sci fi show with big stone circles."

"Stargate." Roy supplied.

"Yeah, that show." Pop nodded towards his oldest son. "And all the sudden, I hear this high pitched annoying scream from out by the hangers. Now, I'm thinking maybe some big cat came down from the mountains and spooked the kids so I grab my big iron I kept in my desk drawer. I rush out to the hanger, praying the two were okay. Round the corner and what do I see? A sixteen year old boy with his back pressed up against the hanger wall and a young woman with her hand down the front of his pants!"

"No!" Lisa was fighting hard not to laugh and could understand why Rick was extremely embarrassed. The man in question moaned and covered his face with both hands, his cheeks aflame as Pop was laughing so hard he had to wipe the tears from his head. Roy was clutching his sides as Claudia was looking to Rick was an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow, surprised that younger Rick had been so forward where as the one before her was more sedate in his pace. If what Lisa told Claudia was true, she took a lead in that department and this story seemed to explain why.

"Oh, it gets better!" Pop chuckled. "I was livid! That he would force a woman to do something she probably didn't want too. I about tanned his hide right then and there. So, I tell Roy to take a rather embarrassed Amber home while I had a...chat with Rick."

"I remember how pissed you were Pop!" Roy laughed. "And when Amber told me the whole story..."

"Well, I ask Rick just what in the hell he was thinking." Pop smirked as his youngest was squirming and muttering threats towards Roy and himself. "Took him damn near fifteen minutes to finally tell me what happened. And when he did, I couldn't decided whether I should be disappointed in him or relieved!"

"Why is that Pop?" Lisa asked, her attention and curiosity fully on the man who would eventually be her father-in-law, still shy in calling him Pop. It was Roy who answered in a laughing voice.

"The idiot didn't know what second base was or what to even do!"

Rick gave a loud, depressed moan, his shoulders slumping while the two woman went wide eyed, snapping their gazes to him in complete surprise. Lisa's mouth was almost a perfect circle while Claudia had to set her drink down. The two other men in the room shared a grin as Lisa finally found her voice. "But...how did her hand...?"

"I'll explain that one!" Pop quipped. "Seems Rick here had literally planned to just watch the stars with his girl. She was the one that wanted to go further and had pushed him up against the hanger and shoved her hand in his pants."

"You said you heard a high pitched scream." Claudia remarked, her surprise abating. "Why did she scream if..."

Pop pointed a finger at Rick with an evil smirk. "He's the one that screamed."

Rick sighed and looked to the assembled group. "Her hands were cold. Besides, how was I supposed to know what to do? Not like I had a stash of dirty movies in my room like Roy."

"That I stole from Pop!" Roy regretted what he said instantly as Pop turned to face him, a cocked eyebrow while Clauida just shook her head, not surprised in her Husband one bit. Lisa was covering her mouth, stifling her giggles at Roy's sheepish look.

"So that _was_ you. You told me it was Rick,"

"That I took them?!" Rick spoke with outrage. "He threatened to put them in my room if I ratted him out!"

"Hey! I offered to let you watch a few of them!"

"Yeah well..wait a minute!" Rick cried, pointing a finger at Pop who was laughing at his two sons "That's why you gave me that confused look! You thought...how did you know I was being honest?"

"Well, you lie like shit son." Pop answered with a laugh, much to the amused agreement of all present. "I was confused at the time because if you had watched them, you'd have known what to do."

"I told her I didn't want to." Rick muttered, dejectedly as he pulled open the fridge and began rummaging around for a cola.

"To be fair, most guys at sixteen would have been more than willing." Pop remarked. "Reminds me of the time I busted Roy with...who was it? Susan?"

"Mary." Roy corrected with a grin. "It was a great night regardless."

Claudia rolled her eyes and and just shook her head. She'd heard all these tales but they were all new to Lisa. Seeing how she was so entrapped with the stories, how she had been easily welcomed into the Hunter/Fokker family, it had helped the young woman tremendously as she dealt with her grief. She hadn't had a major meltdown since just after her father died, but there were times when she clammed up, refusing to do anything more than what her duty entailed. She was getting better, but by no means was she completely healed. And with the uncertainty of if she'd ever be able to bare children...well, having these goofs in her life would hopefully keep her from breaking.

"So anyway, once Rick finally told me the story of what happened, I felt torn between pride that he had been a complete gentleman like I raised him to be and disappointment that my son was completely clueless with woman." Pop shook his head with a sigh. "I'm still not sure which to this day!"

The group laughed while Rick just glared, hating that story but seeing how it made Lisa's eyes sparkle and to hear her musical laugh, it was worth the embarrassment ten fold. After a few minutes of humorous laughter, Lisa turned and slipped her arms around Ricks waist, her smile infectious. "It explains your reluctance. So, how was the brief?"

Rick's smile turned right into a scowl.

"I want to shoot Edwards."

"What did the moron say now?" Roy asked, his irritation towards the man in question plain.

"He's been a bigot and trying to find support to send the Allied Zentradi away." Rick answered. "Admiral Gloval had to slap him down verbally earlier today. I was hoping to see him to it physically. It would make everyone's day."

"You could probably sell tickets to that dance." Claudia remarked, sipping her drink. "Lord knows that man hasn't made many friends. He wasn't happy Roy had been promoted to Captain when they promoted Edwards to full bird."

"No. He hasn't." Roy said with agreement. "Something is...odd about him."

"Understatement of the Century." Rick remarked dryly. "He pulled me aside after the brief. Wanted to ask me a question."

Lisa watched Rick's face as dark emotions passed through his eyes, coupled with what was known as the thousand yard stare as if remembering something painful.

"Was he his normal witty self?" Roy sarcastically asked, rolling his eyes. "Or did you push him through an air lock?"

"No. Surprisingly he was civil. Even apologized for being an ass towards me."

The room was silent as those in the know all raised eyebrows. Pop was listening intently, not only cluing in on the hints but the way this Edwards was talked about. Lisa was the first to speak up. "What did he want to ask you Rick?"

"My thoughts about the Grand Cannon." He answered darkly. "Asked if I thought that we should rebuild it and how if we had a few more built, it could have saved our planet from the Rain of Death. I told him it was right where it belonged. In ruins."

The sound of breaking glass caught everyone's attention as Rick blinked in surprise, staring at his hand. He hadn't realized he was squeezing so hard on the soda bottle and had managed to shatter it. Lisa jumped in surprise before she began fretting over him, grabbing a rag and gently pulling the glass shards from his hand, thankful none had penetrated his hand save for a few small slivers. Roy looked into his brother's eyes and what he saw rolling behind those blue orbs could doom the younger man. It was a look Roy knew well, one he himself would get on occasion. It was the look of a soldier that had seen war. He only hoped Rick would fair better than he had.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick shot up, a scream on his lips as cold sweat drenched his body. Blinking several times, he fought to get his ragged breathing under control as his whole body shook. It was a nightmare. One of death and destruction, reliving the war in his dreams. Only they were different from his memories. It was starting to slip away, but it had been about Lisa. In his nightmare, Dozla had squeezed her until he crushed her, tossing her broken body to the table before slamming his hand down on her barely breathing form. He flinched as he felt a pair of delicate arms wrap around him from behind, feeling a gentle kiss on his shoulder from the woman beside him as he blinked away the tears that welled in his eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He muttered, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Sorry I woke you. Bad dream."

"I can see that." She muttered groggily. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head and turned his head, giving her a weak smile. "I'll survive. You just get back to sleep."

"What about you?"

His smile faltered before he turned his head away.

"I'll...I doubt I'll be able to get back to sleep tonight."

Lisa frowned and looked to the soft glow of the clock, seeing it was just after one in the morning. "Rick, you need sleep."

"I've worked on less Lisa." He said, trying to reassure her. "I don't have any patrols tomorrow, just paperwork."

His love wasn't budging and griped his shoulders, turning his torso so she could look him the face. Rick ducked his head as she reached over and clicked the lights on. Gently, she used her hands to lift his face until she could see him clearly. These nightmares had been coming on and off for the past week or so. He was developing bags under his eyes from his lack of sleep and she was becoming concerned as he seemed to grow more jumpy and irritable by the day. "Rick. You need to tell me what's wrong. This has been going on for a week now, and it's getting worse."

Rick didn't want to worry her. He'd been talking with Roy and Pop about the nightmares. Both had been in the tall grass and seen the elephant. Roy had gotten a faraway look on his face, nodding as Rick spoke while Pop's eyes seemed to become lifeless as he was reminded of his own streak of death filled nightmares. Both men had told him it was only the love of a good woman that chased those horrible dreams away, or at least held back the worst of them.

"I...I've been...well dreaming about the war." He finally admitted. "From the face of the first being I killed to nightmares about you being vaporized in the Rain of Death. They get worse every time. And every time I fly a patrol, I feel like I'm in a cemetery. The whole damn planet is nothing more than a graveyard with billions of people nothing but ashes in the wind. God, I can almost hear their screams as they died."

"My love." Lisa smiled sadly as she ran her thumbs across his stubbled jaw line as his eyes seemed to dull even more. "I understand. I know you're trying to be strong and not worry me, but like you told me when I broke down. We are a team. We help each other through the bad and love each other no matter what."

"I know. It's just..." He swallowed hard, his eyes meeting her own emerald orbs. "You have so much pain of your own. I don't want to shoulder you with mine."

"It's no burden Rick." She told him firmly. "You've helped me deal with so much over the time we've been together. Let me help you."

The kiss began as gentle, tender, gaining in intensity. It wasn't love, it was driven by pain. By the need to feel safe from the nightmares. The two lost themselves in the moment as Lisa helped to ease Rick's turmoil.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Well, now we wait." Lisa remarked nervously, her hands gripping Ricks.

Jean had called them down for Lisa's final check to determine if the radiation she had been exposed to would affect her ability to have a baby. When Jean had checked the first time, she'd been confused at the readings from her display. Something wasn't right, but she'd told them it could be a minor system issue with the scanner. Though she needed to make sure with a blood test. Seeing the expression on the doctor's face, Lisa was worried that maybe she had developed some sort of radiation caused cancer or the like. Rick had been beside her, supporting her and telling her that no matter what happened, she wasn't getting away from him that easily.

"Try to relax Lisa." Rick spoke in a gentle voice. "It could be that maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought."

"Then why the blood draw Rick?"

He gave a helpless shrug. "How should I know? I'm a pilot, not a doctor."

Lisa frowned and just shook her head.

"There are only two reasons why she'd draw blood at this point. And the odds are not for the happy possibility."

She'd dismissed the happy one as she'd still had the symptoms of a period, which had given her some hope that she'd be okay. The problem is, her mind kept bringing up what would be the only possibility and it scared her. She just hoped that of it was what she thought it was, they could treat it quick enough to prevent her from dying. The minutes ticked by as the pair waited, Lisa's apprehension growing by the second and it was affecting Rick. The many was becoming more and more fidgety as time went on, shooting constant glances towards the door and muttering about slow old doctors that earned him a punch from the shoulder by an annoyed Lisa. "Stop that Rick. You're making this wait worse."

"I can't help it." He whined. "I hate hospitals. They smell funny."

"The smell is from what we make annoying pilots drink when they poke fun at a Doctor's age." An amused voice spoke as the door opened. Jean entered the room, a pleasant smile on her face as she gripped the clipboard baring Lisa's blood work test. "Well the good news is that everything checks out. The damage appears to have been far less than what the initial results showed. So that's a plus."

Lisa almost cried in relief to know she had been wrong before she spotted the amused smirk on Jean's face. "Is there...can...will I be able to...?"

Rick blinked in confusion for a moment before he managed to figure out what she was asking, and he felt his hope rise in response to the look on Lisa's face. Jean smirked and cocked her head to the side. "Well, the question answered itself already. I'm surprised you didn't notice yet Lisa. The results came back positive."

The woman blinked, stunned as her keen mind realized just what had been said. "But...I had it this month...three days ago in fact. Lost my favorite pair."

Jean chuckled in response to her statement, knowing that pain well. Rick was looking between those two, wondering just what was going on.

"Already noticed? Favorite pair?" His confusion made Jean want to laugh but knew it would be rude and decided to answer Lisa's question.

"It's not uncommon for a woman to still show symptoms of a period during the early stages." She explained. "In fact, I'd say that in this case, those symptoms you experienced were from your body healing itself from all the exposure. Out with the old, in with the new."

"Someone please tell me what's going on here." Rick demanded, feeling agitated as he had no clue what was being talked about. Lisa was still in shock from the news, her hand gripping Rick's tightly as she stared at him, unable to speak. Jean decided to spare Rick any further head ache and smiled brightly.

"You're going to be a daddy Commander Hunter."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Claudia was making her way to the infirmary, bitterly cursing the shift rotation that had held her up. She'd promised Lisa she'd be there for her appointment to give her own support to her almost Sister-in-law. It took a minute to find the right exam room, thankful Jean had informed the staff that she was allowed to visit. As her hand reached the door, she heard a loud thump followed by twin cries of "Rick!" She threw the door open and blinked in surprise as Lisa was pulling Rick's head into her lap while Jean was simply shaking her head in exasperation.

"The man has faced death dozens of times. Faced off against an entire Zentradi Air Wing with out batting an eyelash." The doctor rolled her eyes. "And yet that made him faint."

Claudia opened her mouth to speak when Rick's eyes fluttered open and he spoke in a stunned voice as Lisa gave him a bright smile. "A baby? We're going to have a baby?"

"Well well well!" Claudia greeted the two, smiling as Rick numbly turned his head to Claudia. "Seems some congratulations are in order!"

"Claudia!" Rick jumped to his feet as Lisa let out a shaky laugh, her own emotions a blur to her. "I'm gonna be a Dad!"

The dark skinned beauty laughed as Rick began jumping up and down and hugged both her and Jean before he pulled Lisa up into his arms. Hearing her startled gasp at his actions, he quickly pulled back, looking at her with concern all over his face. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Rick, she's pregnant, not made of glass you moron!"

Lisa placed her hands on Rick's chest and kissed him before he had a chance to turn and retort to Claudia, ending his rant before it started. "I'm okay. You just surprised me. But...a baby. You and me. Parents."

Rick's wide grin threatened to split his face in half as he nodded. "Yeah. Our baby."

The women watched as Rick crouched, eye level with Lisa's stomach. She couldn't fight the tear filled smile as he rested his hand against her stomach, the look of pure happiness on his face. Claudia had to wipe a few stray tears that fell as she watched her little brother began speaking again. "I wonder who you'll be? I hope you're as smart as your beautiful mommy."

"Rick..." Lisa's voice was think as she placed her hand over his, feeling a warmth spread through her body. The young man looked to Jean, his gaze questioning.

"When can we find out what it'll be?"

"Earliest is around twelve weeks. But I'd like to have Lisa come in for one next week to get an idea of how far along she are."

"Probably shy of three weeks." Lisa stated with a blush. "We...well...that was the only time..."

Jean gave an understanding nod and made a note on her files with light smirk. "Well, we'll find out. I'm also going to need you to come in every two weeks until after your second trimester. Just to keep an eye on the baby as it develops."

"She'll be here Doc." Rick told her firmly. "We'll be here."

He grinned and turned back to Lisa's belly. "And I can't wait to meet you! I'll warn you know, you're going to have a crazy family!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So we have good news and bad news Admiral. Which do you want first?"

Henry sighed as he looked over his senior staff. It had been one blow after the other. Just yesterday, he had been forced to send a Marine detachment to one of the converted Zentradi ships that housed a number of surviving civilians. Thankfully, do to the quick actions taken by their new allies, they'd managed save more people tramped on the planet after the initial tectonic disasters. They had close to five million souls now, but housing them was fast becoming a logistical nightmare. "The bad. I can only hope the good finally balances."

"Yellowstone blew two hours ago." Rick reported. He'd been flying near the hot spot to check in on the sudden lose of sensor information. He'd gotten clear just barely and still ended up almost dying as the massive amount off soot and debris had clogged his left engines intake, forcing him to switch his fighter from atmospheric flight to vacuum flight. Thankfully, the damage to his fuel system from the debris shattering the left intact fan wasn't bad enough o force him to bail out. But Skull One would be down for the next week as they pulled the whole left mount and replaced it from the limited spares they had on board. "Thankfully, the filters we have are working their magic. It'll take a four days to clear the ash and soot from the air along with the toxic gasses."

"And the good news?"

"The planet is settling down sir." Lisa rose to her feet. "Once the latest disaster is dealt with, we can begin resettling several locations in the eastern hemisphere. Areas not too heavily damaged. The North American continent will take close to a year until we can even begin resettlement. Doctor Lang and the science team have already began preparing selected sites for human and Zentradi life."

"That is indeed good news."

The meeting progressed at a rapid pace, Edwards once more voicing his displeasure at working with the Zentradi and almost crossed the line with a veiled insult at Lisa that Rick had caught. Not wishing to allow a brawl to occur in his conference room, Henry dismissed the assembled officers. He couldn't help but smile as his eyes landed on his two favorite officer, but his smile slowly fell as he watched them with interest. He noticed how...protective Rick was being as he tried to make a grab for the stack of papers Lisa had in front of her, only for the young woman to smack his hands away and scold him. He only caught a few words, one being fragile and assumed she was telling Rick she could handle herself. He just wondered what it was with the glow she seemed to have a bout her. Henry shrugged and left the room himself. They'd tell him when they were ready.

-x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-

"How adorable Grel. The Micronians are working so hard to fix their planet." Khyron remarked with dark humor as he eyed the reports before him. The loyal Zentraid warriors trapped on the surface of the Micronian world from the crashed cruisers were currently laying in wait for orders to strike. It had been a long three month wait for Khyron as he began moving those units slowly into more tactically sound positions. After reviewing the battle footage, Khyron had found a grudging respect for these tiny beings and knew he couldn't continue to fight them like they were nothing more than insects. And while he still believed such, he needed to fight them as he would another Zentradi to finally best them. That meant using his full tactical ability. "Are the jammers in place yet?"

"Almost sir." Grel answered. "The remnants are ready to commence fold as soon as you give the order."

"That's good news." The crazed man nodded, his eyes not leaving the monitor. "We must wait until we can have their full attention turned toward their planet and not out wards to space."

Grel nodded his understanding as Khyron clasped his hand under his chin.

"We will crush them this time Grel. It will take time before we can fully launch our attack, but time will grant us our victory. After all, even those who have fled to the banner of peace Breetai has taken up will soon crave battle. Once the hunger is strong enough, we will begin. Alert the remnant to begin phase one. Our force on the ground already are to commence with with the operation. Make sure they understand that drawn out engagements are not authorized at this time."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Can we leave yet Bugs?"

Lieutenant Matt 'Bugs' McQueen sighed as once more, his youngest crew member asked that infuriating question. The young Sergeant, one Jeff Stevens, wiped the sweat from his tanned brow. Matt would admit this was boring, standing around in their three-hundred and seventy ton Monster he and his crew called Mad Dog, just guarding a group of civvies as they preped a large field for the first group of survivors to live. Matt scoffed at the word. This place was no where to live anymore.

"Quit your bitchin Stevens." The final member of the three man crew, a dark skinned man of six foot going by the name of Nate Johnson glared at the younger man. "We got a job to do here. Plenty of crashed Zed ships around here that we haven't checked yet because of the radiation."

"Easy up on the kid Nate. Even is he is being annoying."

The com crackled to life as said kid sent a heated glare to his two crewmates, the voice of their fellow HWR crew commander coming through loud and clear. _"Bugs, this is Step Child. Have a possible issue here."_

"What do you see Step Child?"

 _"Looks like a group of tourist stopping by to say hello."_ The woman in his display spoke with a grim face. _"And they've brought Easter eggs with them."_

"Are they a friendly bunch?" Matt asked, checking his display to see where Step Child had set up at. "Or are they door to door salesman annoying?"

 _"Dog with rabies annoying."_ The woman looked at a display on her end before speaking. _"The trouble makers aren't too far from us. Should I say hello?"_

"Not yet. Animal Mother, you awake or napping in your chair again?"

A gruff voice responded before the final HWR commander in Cerberus team came on screen. _"We can see um here Bugs. Persistent little punks ain't they? Looks like the same group that harassed Sparky and his boys two days ago."_

Two days ago, random groups of surviving hostile Zentradi had been popping up all over the planet, generally just being a pain in ass as they took potshots at the filters or the clean up crews. Sparky, Captain Mike Zimmerman, and his boys from the 18th Armored Calvary had run right into them while on patrol. Six Spartans, four Tomahawks, and three Vanguards had been reduced to scrap with Sparky almost getting killed. The guy was still laid up in the hospital.

"I'll radio Hatchetman about our visitors. Both of you get ready to send some love to them."

Matt tapped a few buttons and brought up the face of Major David Mattis, callsign Hatchetman, the allied Commander for their area. The pale skinned man was frowning as Matt filled him in on what was going on. _"Well, I wondered when they'd come knocking. And sign of Gnats in the air?"_

"Not that we could see, but maybe the Old Girl can send some Vultures our way to lend some help. Otherwise, we'll have to rely on Screech and his boys to handle the fly swatters."

 _"I'll see what I can get. See what you can do to scare them off. I'm rounding up my guys and we'll move in to support. If they don't scatter, we'll hit them at Berlin."_

"Roger." Matt clicked his com off and activated the Team channel. "Ladies, let's drop the bass!"

Mad Dog braced itself as the men inside began working to bring the guns to bare. "Gunner, target zero six two, grid seven seven one alpha, range thirty klicks. Two by four!" Signaling he wanted two salvos from the four guns.

"Locked!"

"Load HEAT!"

"Loaded!"

"Drop the hammer!"

The mighty 400mm gun battery attached to their rig let out an earth shaking boom, the massive barrels slamming back, kicking the spent shell from the breeches out and flying to the ground where they landed with a smoking thud.

"Reloading!" Stevens yelled as he worked his controls for the loading system, making sure they didn't jam or load the wrong ordinance. "Ready!"

"Firing shot two!"

The guns spoke again, sending four more high explosive anti armor rounds after the first salvo. Two other Monsters, The Beast run by Step Child and Reaper by Animal Mother, followed suit. The incoming salvo impacted into the approaching mixed Zentradi attack force and hit in quick succession. Matt kept his eyes glued to his monitor as the fireballs from the shells' explosions began to clear and he cursed. "Six confirmed KIA! Ready guns! Another Two by Four!"

"Ready!"

"Fi-Ah shit! Hold Guns!" Matt growled out. "Hatchetman, Reggies went airborne! Any word from the Vulture Jockeys?"

 _"Negative. They're tied up."_ Major Mattis replied, his voice showing his irritation. _"Zeds also have knocked out our sat links so we can't radio for support. Their hitting the filters all over. Pull your team back to Charlie Five and hold. We may need your special touch if things get hairy."_

"Roger. You heard him boys and girls! Pack up the kids and get to the rest stop."

Thirty kilometers from Mad Dog, Hatchetman and his three lance members marched forward. His Tomahawk began moving deeper into the ruins of Berlin and frowned as his scanner system returned only static. "Command, scanners are down. You got an image?"

 _"Negative. Picture is out."_

"Roger command, launching drone." he reported, tapping the correct controls. "Grid setting fox niner, battlefield updates in bound."

 _"We see your drone. Five targets behind the bank and office buildings ahead of you. Fifteen heavies are moving in and one we can't identify from here. Code name Kingpin."_

"Roger, I got them."

Hatchetman moved forward as his lance mates begin calling in contact reports. He knew the rest of his unit would be falling back to choke points between the ruined city of Berlin and the scientist fifteen miles from the city edge. David cocked an eyebrow as two battle pods, known to them now as Regults, jumped with their boosters onto the roofs ahead of him. "Bad move Reggie."

He triggered his twin heavy lasers and missile systems at the base of the bank as the Regaults opened fire, scoring a few hits on the reactive armor that covered his Tomahawk from head to toe. The lasers and missiles bit deep into the main supports for the building and with a stressed groan, they gave, dropping several tonnes of concrete, metal, and two Regualts from their perch. He watched with a satisfied gaze as they failed to stabilize as the middle of the building gave first, crushing them under the debris.

 _"Hatchman, I've got heavies here!"_

 _"Christ, how many of them are there?!"_

 _"Shutter, I can't get to you! Pull back two blocks and move west!"_

"Alpha Lance, enemy units are pretty heavy here! Keep your eyes open. Cerberus Team, can you give fire support?"

The voice of Bugs came back through the heavily staticed channel as the Zeds upped the jamming in an attempt to cut off the Destroid teams from their allies in the area. _"Negative. Gnats came in from the south and dropped Reaper! Screech is moving to clear our ass!"_

David growled in frustration as his Tomahawk marched confidently through the smoke cloud.

"Understood. Any beacon from Reaper?"

 _"Two managed to punch. Not sure which two yet. Comms are a mess!"_

"You can thank the Zeds." David remarked, triggering his 25mm autocannons attached to his chassis. The rather bold Reggie that tried to blind side him in the smoke dropped to the ground, flames spilling from the cockpit as it toppled over before the reactor went in a spectacular explosion. "Voodoo Lance, move to support Delta Lance at point beta six. No Reggie gets through! Screech, I want my sky clear!"

In answer to David's demand, 78mm cannon fire arched into the sky to greet the on rushing Gnerls, nicknamed Gnats as they were about as annoying as a swarm of the little buggers. Six went up in explosions as the anti aircraft fire connected with the more aggressive among them that were attempting to support their own mechs in the field. This was fast becoming an ugly ground battle as Alpha Two took a shot through the chassis that took out his reactor. Hardcase didn't even get a chance to punch out it happened so fast. "Alpha, form up on me! No lone wolf stuff!"

David rounded the corner and froze as his eyes landed on a lumbering monstrosity that had never been seen by any of the RDF. "Oh my God..."

The massive beast before him turned, heavy laser and auto cannon emplacements attached to the arm mounts while the shoulders bristled with missile packs. It looked like some one took a command pod from a pod and tacked on bits and pieces from every type of Reggie in their arsenal and plopped in on a salvaged set of legs belonging to a Monster. It even bore a 400mm barrel attached to the right arm instead of the standard set up. The pod cockpit glowed a hellish red as David backpedaled, triggering his 25mms and charged his heavy lasers. "Heavy contact! Unknown class!"

 _"Sweet Jesus! We see him!"_

David watched with fear as his weapons fire seemed to be absorbed by the heavy armor encasing this monster, the impact points glowing a dull red as it took a step towards him, almost taunting him as it's own weapons began to glow, the 400mm swinging around to target him.

"Alpha, target designated Kingpin in my sector!" David called as he backed around the corner he had come, the final few bursts from his machine guns peppering the building as a resounding boom echoed even through the heavily sound proof pod. The single 400mm shell slammed through the building and passed close enough to set off warnings as the Tomahawk was caught off balance by it's passage.

 _"Trying to get to you Hatchetman! Reggies are swarming into the city. Beta Five is holding but barely!"_

"Cerberus, I need support!"

 _"Hang on Hatchetman. Trying to get a position but the Gnats aren't letting up!"_

David felt the thumps as the beast he was starting to classify as an Atlas type lumbered towards him. Checking his systems, he winced as several sections of his chassis flashed red, showing him those armor plates were close to failing from the few lasers that had hit him. "Just what did they arm you with, you bastard?"

The Tomahawk moved forward, faster then the Atlas chasing him, and turned the next corner, two blocks down as he tried to get into a good position to fire on Kingpin. He was partially lucky as the beast before him had turned to move down the street David had backed through. He wasted no time and braced himself as he triggered his full weapons systems. Missiles burned from their tubes as tracers, lasers, and 25mm shells filled the space between them with smoke and flames. The missiles impacted into the left hand side of the enemy heavy, the smoke from the explosions obscured the Atlas. He could see the lasers and tracers own impacts as bright orange glows in the smoke cloud. Not waiting, David triggered his four 180mm direct fire mortars four times, sending sixteen explosive surprises that detonated with in the cloud. David was able to make out fuzzy outlines of the Atlas as the explosions illuminated deep in the smoke. He sent more laser blasts and missile fire into the heart of the cloud, watching the image twist away from the intense fire. The parking garage in front of the beast fell as it crashed into it sideways from the force of the impacts. David was breathing heavy as his guns went silent. A quick check confirmed he was empty on missiles having fired all sixty four his mount could carry and he'd slagged the machine guns. He still had his 25mms, partial charge on his lasers, and thirty-two mortars in the magazine. He let out a relieved breath as he grinned at the clearing smoke. "Take that you son of a..."

David watched in shock as the rubble from the parking garage gave way and the hulking behemoth before him rose to it's full height, towering over the Tomahawk. It's left gun mount was completely gone and the left armor was blown away, exposing the internal systems as smoke spewed from the shattered sections. The right most leg was useless, but more than enough to support the beast as it turned to face him, blackened impact points dotting the chest armor. "No fucking way..."

David backed away as quick as he could before the missiles on it's right shoulder fired, impacting the left knee joint. The mech seemed to collapse to it's knees as the twisted metal of the left leg gave with a nasty ripping sounds. The main servos gave as hydraulic lines were severed rendering the left leg inert. David hissed in pain as his shoulder collided with his console. Alarms flared to life and the left leg status icon went black, acrid smoke filling the pod as relays blew from the system overload. The Atlas before him braced itself, the 400mm locking right onto him. David grit his teeth and grabbed hold of the eject handle. "Bugs, if you can hear me, four by four. Danger close my position!"

 _"Copy! We're locked! Four By four, danger close! Let's light um up Beast!"_

David yanked the half moon shaped handle and felt the sudden rush of the cold, frigid air as the explosive bolts popped and sent the head of the Tomahawk flying at a four degree angle from the wounded war machine. David felt a sudden jerk and was pressed hard into his ejection seat as the bolt blew and the rocket motor built into the seat ignited, sending him skyward. His vision began to gray around the edges from the crushing force before it stopped. The feeling of freefall greeted him before the sharp, and rude jerk signaled the unfurling of his chute. Looking down as the seat fell away from his dangling form, he watched the Enemy mech fire, spearing his long time mount through the chest and hitting the reactor, sending the wounded Tomahawk backwards before the explosion consumed it. David could feel the heat from the explosion and covered his eyes from the bright light. His world went black as the first of the thirty-two shells salvo slammed into the ground all around the area. His last thought was satisfaction as he saw the beast take a direct shell that shattered the left side.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Henry rubbed his tired eyes as reports came in from all over the world. Forty well timed attacks had stretched them thin on all fronts and the casualties among the remaining RDF forces were still coming in. Thanks to the ionization of the atmosphere caused by the Rain of Death, which interrupted any com lines to the orbiting allied fleet, The RDF ground forces had been relying heavily on the low orbit satellites to pick up and boost their transmissions to other sectors. That reliance had bit them on the collective ass as the Zentradi on the surface, survivors from the crashed ships of Dolza's fleet had taken advantage of that and managed to cut off the over stretched ground forces from reinforcements. They'd managed to push back the enemy forces from their attacks, but the damage had been done two six of the filters set up in Africa and the Netherlands. He was beginning to wonder if their efforts would be a failure. They'd need to remove these hostiles units for them to stand even a chance to save their world. If not...humanity would have to find a new home. And that would take decades to even terraform a new world.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Did they notice?"

"No sign that they did," Grel reported. "The distraction was a success. We have one thousand ships standing by at the system edge."

"Electronic coverage?"

"Unless they knew exactly what to look for, they won't ever notice. Even Breetai would over look them."

Khyron gave a dark smile. "The status of phase one?"

"Construction has begun. They shouldn't find it until it is too late."

"And the Factory?"

"Already alerted and are ready for any attempts made to take it."

"Good." Khyron chuckled. "Good. Two years maybe a long wait, by I will not fail in my revenge. After all Grel, as the Micronians say, it is a dish best served cold!"

* * *

 **A/N: So here we are. Khyron is planning something dastardly and using his brain to stage his revenge. You may have noticed a bit of ground action in this chapter. I took to playing MechWarrior for a while to get a feel of how it could go and created a senario with four Warhahammer class mechs (Closest to the Tomahawk) against near thirty Catapults with a single Atlas in the feild. The results were terrifying. On that note about MechWarrior, I came across an interesting article regarding number 5. Apparently, Harmony Gold didn't like how some of the Mechs looked like RoboTech ones and refused to let FASA use them. Meaning the development had been pushed back so they could remove and redesign MEchs for the game. If you doubt me, google BattleTech Catapult and Warhammer type battlemechs.**

 **As usual, let me know what you thought of this chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19 Recovery Part Three

**A/N: Alright, since you guys have been patient with me, you get an 11,000+ word chapter to read with out this long note. This is the longest one to date for this story. Now, I had to do a very big rewrite for this and rework the rest of the story line as this one was originally a very very sad one. And well, couldn't do it. I reread the original one and purged it. That's how the oneshot Tears of Angels came about. Pop over to my one shot story and it's chapter 12. Anway, onto my review answer sections.**

 **WardogRd: Well welcome aboard this wild ride! I agree with your point of view and believe me, to quote Mal 'There's somebody out there carrying a bullet with your name on it.' Trust me, someone will face the music. War is a terrible thing and I have experienced it. I know how the chaos goes so trust me, I get what you're saying. And thank you for your reviews. I'm curious how chapter 12 of my oneshots did ya.**

 **Fer82: Well stop dropping off for a week at a time lol! And yeah, another blitz with um. Sure Dolza would have just thought he could run roughshod over the people of Earth, but not to leave at least some ships in reserve on the off chance they could bite back harder than he thought made no sense. Seeing as how the Zentradi had no idea how many ships the humans may have had just coasting around space. And as for the PTSD issue, well it was never really touched on in the series and as a vet it confused me as even those who didn't run front line ops still were effected by what they saw. As I said, I'm trying to add a more realistic aspect to the characters. Rick and co are good people yes, but not perfect. They all have their flaws. And as for his respawns, I had forgotten that detail about the cloning templates. So whoops. But still, it is plausible. Also, yeah, half a mill is low but the show never really gave us a concrete figure of how many were left after the Rain of Death. Working with what I can man.**

 **sscaldwe: Thank you for your review. I tried to use my own experience with PTSD but it kinda caused it to flare back up so that's part of why this chapter has taken longer than normal. And from what you have said, you're doing exactly what is the most important thing for your husband. Trust me, what you are doing is probably a massive help to him. Mine would be easier to deal with at times if I had that same support. My family tries to help but when you live alone and work all the time as I have since getting out, well I try to bury it if I can. Standard warrior mindset and arrogance is what is doing more harm than good for me. I just have trouble talking about it ya know? Anyway, Khyron is a necessary evil at present but he will be dealt with in a very satisfying way.**

 **Jag389: I couldn't help but laugh when I read your review on Chapter 15. It had came in like a hour after sixteen went up so it made it very amusing to me. But as I stated to sscaldwe, he's a necessary evil for now. Don't worry, while he is a major pain in the ass, I have a plan for Rick to deal with him. Let's just say Khyron fouls up and makes it personal for Rick. I will say you'll be happy with how this goes.**

 **Giulio The Roman: I'm tempted to make you a Zed in this story and have Roy deal with you lol! I'm kidding man! And yeah, Edwards will get his just rewards for being an ass, but I need to cultivate his personality for the plan I have in mind. Also, yes, Lisa will earn Rick's pardon even though her break down was understandable lol. I just wanted to put that scene in as I dealt with similar when I dated a girl who lost her Dad. And personally, I like Chicken Alfredo and I never said it was Italian. Just that Rick found the recipe on the computer. Remember, in my tale unlike most, he wasn't some super chef. He's had to learn how to make things for his lady lol.**

 **JayDog75: Yep. I have a very distinct plan in mind for our traitorous Edwards. While it is not apparent at present, he has a role to play in my tale. And yeah, I wanted to plug the hole between the Rain of Death and the timeskip as I can't really find any material on the intervening years. Like, why did Rick who was so lovey towards Lisa sudden flip a one-eighty and go chasing after Minmei? Why didn't Lisa confess in that two year period?! The most the accomplished was a solid friendship? I call bull because no man would mope and pine away for a girl that hadn't talked to them in two years. I could see maybe six months before Rick decided to move on. Especially as Lisa was giving millions of signs she wanted to make babies with the dolt. And glad you like the message from Donald to his daughter. That was based around something we did before patrols in Afghan. Most of us would write a final letter to loved ones and carry it in our cargo pockets in case the worst came to pass. It made sense Donald would have had one.**

 **Now on with the chapter! And brownie points for anyone who can spot the reference in this chapter!**

 **A/N2: Corrected major timeline issue here. Thanks to Fer82 for pointing it out to me. I completely forgot about the Tristars and the Banshee classes that proceeded the other more advanced designs. I actually am ashamed to admit, I completely forgot about the ASC...I'm a horrible RoboTech/Macross fan for that foul up!**

* * *

Chapter 19 Recovery Part Three

"Max! Ben!"

Both men turned to the sound of their names being called and spotted Rick waving at them, a maniacal grin on his face. Ben cocked an eyebrow as Max just shook his head and the two made their way to their friend. The Officer Club was fairly empty, with only them plus Rick's father, Roy, Admiral Gloval who looked confused as to why he had been invited, along with a few other officers they knew. Max noticed the absence of any of the female command staff but knew the ladies had deiced to host a gathering of their own, or so Miriya had told him.

"So where is the fire Skipper?" Max asked cautiously, accepting a glass of amber colored liquid. "You said it was important?"

"I find myself curious as well Commander Hunter." The Admiral confessed. "Normally I would have refrained from joining, but you said it was something I would be very interested in hearing."

"Oh hush Henry." Pop snorted. "You're getting free top shelf whiskey on the house. Relax and enjoy the treat."

The Russian grinned and saluted Pop with his glass, conceding to his point much to the amusement of those around the room. Rick took a look around, his eyes already showing he had started before them, but the happiness on his face was plain as day.

"Okay! We're all here!" He remarked joyfully. "I have an announcement to make and it's one that has me feeling like my world is complete! I have truly been blessed with good fortune! And each of you can join me in sharing this wonderful news!"

"Get on with it you prima dona!" Roy snarked, tossing a pretzel at his brother. "Pop ain't getting any younger. Ow!"

The group laughed as Pop slapped Roy upside the back of his head. Rick waited until they settled down and took a deep breath, grinning. "I'm gonna be a Dad!"

The room feel completely silent except for the choking of Pop and Henry as both had taken sips during Rick's opening lines. Ben was slack jawed as Max blinked several times, not quite sure he heard Rick right while Roy fell backwards out of his chair, making a loud thud on impact. Vince was the first to speak, smiling widely as Rick made his announcement. "Congratulations sir! I think I can speak for everyone when I say this is the best news we've had in a long time!"

Rick turned and grinned at Vince as Pop coughed roughly, trying to get his breath back and stared at his son with awe as Roy managed to get back to a seated position. "You...I'm gonna be a Grandpa?"

"Yup! We found out this past Thursday when Lisa went in for her final tests."

"You. Rick Hunter. Are going to be a father." Roy started slowly, his eyes still wide at the revelations. "And will be raising a child. A very impressionable child. One who'll look up to you like a role model."

Rick cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Yes. That's what having a baby means Roy."

Roy dropped his head to the table and his statement brought uproarious laughter to the group.

"Oh God, a mini Rick will be running around and raising all kinds of hell!"

Pop gave a belly laugh, his joy heard in his voice. "It's not that bad Roy! Your kids will probably be worse!"

Henry rose to his feet as the crowd quieted and he looked Rick in the eye, his face a blank mask before he smiled and clasped Rick on the shoulder. "This is very welcome news Commander. It shows that we still have hope. And that even with the darkest of nights upon us, we still can look forward to the dawn of the new day. I am very happy for you and Captain Hayes. Both of you will make excellent parents."

Rick was touched by the Admiral's words and lowered his gaze as he spoke, feeling self conscious as he brought forth an idea Lisa had brought up. "Thank you Admiral. We were also wondering if...well the baby already will have Pop as one Grandpa. Lisa looks to you like a father and we'd be honored if you'd...well...if you'd be the baby's Grandfather as well."

Henry blinked in surprise, his smile warm as a few stray tears fell from his eyes as he did something he had never done before. He embraced Rick in a tight hug before releasing him and nodded, his voice thick with emotions as he responded. "It would be the greatest honor of my life Commander."

"Does that mean we're honorary Uncles?" Ben asked, referring to himself and Max as Roy gave smirk.

"I'd still be the favorite one."

"Says who?" Ben shot back at Roy in good humor. "I'm the funny Uncle! That means I'd be the favorite."

"No. You'd be the weird Uncle no one talks about. Kinda like a cross between Cousin Eddy and Uncle Buck." Roy joked back.

"Oh brother. Give it a rest you two." Max sighed before smirking. "Besides, I'd be the best looking Uncle!"

Everyone began laughing as Roy and Ben both glared at the grinning Max. Rick just shook his head with mirth. "Sorry Max. Lisa and I talked about it. We'd like you to be the baby's Godfather and Miriya the Godmother. If that's okay with you."

Max gave a proud smile as he clasped Rick's hand. "I'd be honored Rick. Though don't go putting me in the position to take care of your kid if you do something stupid and end up dead."

All eyes turned to Pop who began to laugh so hard he was doubled over. No one knew just what it was that he found so funny, and when he finally recovered enough to explain, the others couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Oh that is wonderful news Lisa!" The trio gushed as one.

Said woman smiled at her friends as Claudia hugged her tightly before she let go and smirked at Lisa. "This just means I'll have to put the pressure on Roy now!"

"Already started with Vince!" Jean chuckled as the rest of the group giggled. Miriya watched the proceedings with a curious gaze as the woman around her congratulated Lisa. She read up on the subject of course, with the help of her fellow Zentradi Rico and his team, and had found the entries to be quite interesting reads. Everything from the basic procreation practices, which she and Max had engaged in as a married couple several times of course, to the detailed descriptions of how the birthing process went.

"You must be very fertile indeed Captain Hayes."

Lisa chocked on her water, forgoing the wine the others were imbuing, and looked to Miriya with a stunned look. Claudia just shook her head and sighed. "Miriya, we really need to teach you how to say things in a less blunt manner."

"Have I said it wrong?" She asked, curious. "In my reading, it said that only during the correct time when a woman is at her most fertile will she become pregnant."

"While you're technically correct, the more common thing to say would be you've been blessed with a gift." Jean corrected with mirth.

"In that case, you've been blessed with a gift Captain."

Lisa nodded her thanks and gave to Zentradi woman a warm smile. "Thank you Miriya. I can honestly say this wasn't planned, but the baby is a very welcome surprise."

"So you had not planned to reproduce?" Miriya as, holding her glass in her hands. Lisa shook her head to her friend and her smile still remained on her face as the the girls began giggling.

"Not in the least." Lisa confirmed. "But like I said, it's a very welcome surprise. I know Rick is going to be such a good father. He's already sorting through his models to find ones the baby could play with. Even said he planned to make a mobile for the crib with some of them."

Clauida and the girls laughed as Lisa rolled her eyes in her own amusement. "I swear, he's already planning to take the baby to the simulator as soon as he can to start teaching it how to fly."

"He did seem very excited when you guys found out." Claudia mentioned, her eyes dancing in amusement. "It was very adorable how he was bouncing around like a kid on Christmas."

"Does this mean you'll be having the wedding soon Captain?" Vanessa asked from beside Miriya. "I know some engaged couples move the date forward in similar cases."

Lisa shook her head. "No. We talked about that detail. We're going to wait until after everything settles down a bit more before we have the wedding. Between our duties on the ship and the reconstruction efforts running world wide, we just feel we won't really have much time."

"Hmmm..." Sammie seemed to be staring intently at Lisa before her grin appeared. "What is Commander Hunter hoping for? Boy or Girl?"

"Would you believe he said he would be happy either way as long as the baby is healthy?"

"Yes." The Trio plus Claudia as one responded while Jean just laughed. Miriya smiled as she watched the other woman, her curiosity still ever present.

"May I ask what it feels like Captain Hayes? To know you have a developing being inside of you?"

The others looked to the pregnant woman in their midst with interest, curious as well.

"It's the most incredible feeling in the world Miriya." Lisa stated with a happy little voice. "When it's with the one you love, it just makes everything...it's...it's hard to describe. I just feel so happy...so complete. Like there was a part of me missing until now. And it only makes me love Rick even more knowing it's our baby."

Miriya nodded her understanding at Lisa's statement. "Then I must speak to Max soon. I wish to know this myself and to feel the joy you feel. I wish to show Max my love for him in such a way."

Kim leaned over to Claudia as she gave a stage whisper. "Should we warn Lieutenant Commander Sterling? He looked pretty dehydrated and dead tired the day after his honeymoon after all."

The woman burst into laughter and even Miriya chuckled at the young woman's statement.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"We've finished construction my Lord."

Khyron glanced up from his reports and nodded in satisfaction of Grel's report. "Excellent. What about our fuel stores?"

Grel gave a frown and handed Khyron the tablet. The Zentradi commander accepted it and looked over the information with a frown of his own and gave an irritated sigh.

"Of all the ships Dolza left behind, none were fleet tenders. Our reserves are down to fifteen percent fleet wide. We have maybe another years worth of fuel if we refrain from folding until we can acquire a matrix or access to the derelicts in orbit of the Micronian planet."

"Either option presents unacceptable risk until the Citadel is ready for deployment." Khyron muttered, picking up the fleet information that showed ow many of each class they had in their meager fleet. Of the 200,000 ships that had been left by Dolza to act as reinforcements had he been able to call on them, only around four thousand heeded his call for assistance. The others were currently en route to the Home System to alert the Masters and the remaining Zentradi Forces And of course, those cowards had taken the fuel tenders with them.

"We will need to bolster our fuel stores for now." Khyron began running the calculations and while he still was not satisfied with the results, they would give him more wiggle room to work with until he could complete his objective. "Pull all but five hundred cruisers from the fleet. Also to be pulled are 600 of the Heavy Cruisers and all but ten of the Battle Cruisers. They are to report to the Citadel for immediate decommissioning. We need the fuel and munitions too badly to let them sit. Once the order is given, we will meet with our remaining forces there."

"Sir, that will barely give us a thousand ships to use. Are you sure that is wise?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures Grel." Khyron answered grimly. "It must be done. We have no refinery to produce more fuel. We don't have the machine shops to replace our spent munitions. And we most certainly don't have time to wait around for the Masters to come to this system if they decide to. The decommissioned vessels with be slaved to Citadel control and act as defense platforms for now. They will run off battery power until we attack."

"So we'll rearm them before hand." Grel stated, confused when he saw Khryon shake his head with a dangerous gleam in his eye as his mind began altering a few aspects of his plan.

"Minimally my friend. I think Breetai will want his ships back eventually. What better why to say hello then to ram them down his throat?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The two walked through the crowd, clad in civilian attire. Rick placed his arm around Lisa's shoulders as they walked, nodding in thanks to the congratulations that seemed to be coming from everyone. He had been surprised when Minmei had called Lisa and asked if she and Rick could stop by the studio for a minute to talk. He'd agreed as Minmei had been the one to help them beat Dolza and she had shown growth as a person prior to and after the finally battle. Rick felt she deserved another chance at being his friend and Lisa was more than willing to extend the olive branch.

 _"Captain Hayes! Rick!"_

 _"Hey Minmei!" Rick greeted."How have things been with you?"_

 _She grinned and put her hands behind her back, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she responded, her eyes alight with mirth. "I'd say great but then it wouldn't hold a candle next what has happened with you two! Congratulations on the baby!"_

 _"Thank you, Miss Minmei." Lisa smiled warmly. "It wasn't planned, but we're happy with it."_

 _"When has Rick ever fallowed a plan?" Minmei teased. Rick gave them both a mock glare and turned away to hide his smile as they laughed._

 _"You've got a very valid point there." Lisa agreed with a laugh._

 _"Hey!"_

 _Minmei waved a hand dismissively at him, still grinning. "I've been meaning to ask if I could sing at your wedding. Rumor has it, you both are planning one for after the reconstruction is done."_

 _"For once the rumors are right." Rick grumbled._

 _"Oh I never really put any belief in the ones of you two breaking up, or that Lisa caught you with another woman and beat you up." The girl laughed at Rick's surprised face. "I know you too well Rick Hunter! You cheating on any one? You're way too loyal and too much of a gentlemen to do that."_

 _Lisa giggled at the woman's statement before she answered. "We'd be honored if you would sing at the wedding Miss Minmei."_

 _"Really? Thank you!" Minmei gushed as she gripped Lisa outstretched hand in both of hers. "And please, call me Minmei Captain Hayes! I hope we can be friends one day!"_

 _"Call me Lisa then. And any friend of Rick's is a friend of mine."_

Rick smiled as he finished the memory, giving Lisa's shoulders a gentle squeeze as they passed by several packed store fronts. He was also feel relieved as his nightmares had begun to abate. It had taken some prodding on Lisa's part to get him to talk about them, he still was hesitant on worrying her with his own mind taunting him in his sleep, especially now that she was pregnant, but he finally relented and was much more willing to talk to her. He'd even agreed to see a professional to help him deal with it. He was sleeping better now and didn't have that thousand yard stare as often, but it did make itself known at times. And it helped that he put much of his focus on Lisa and the baby, they were both very welcomed distractions!

"Still can't believe the paparazzi are following me around."

Rick chuckled at Lisa's grumble as a camera flashed again from her left. "Well you are Miss Macross."

She glared playfully at him. "Oh hush you. That was almost a year ago now. I just wish they'd get over it."

"You're their space heroine remember?" Rick teased, poking her in the ribs. She squirmed under his touch.

"You call me that again, I'll start calling you a handsome devil."

She almost laughed at his face as the color drained from it pretty quickly and he pouted. "That's not funny."

"I thought it was." She remarked with a brilliant smile, and turned, wrapping her her arms around his neck. "But you'll always be my hero."

Rick grinned at her and gave a light kiss to the woman in his arms before they continued on. Days like today, when the world seemed normal and at peace, when he had Lisa by his side...they made all the pain and scars worth it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Eight months seemed to fly by for the survivors of humanity. It hadn't be easy, that was to be sure. But all their hard work was paying off. They'd slowly begun to rebuild their world with the help of the much welcomed Zentradi Allies. It had been difficult at first, but with some words from Minmei and Gloval, the people of Earth had for the most part, welcomed them with open arms. There had been flare ups, such the riots of Moscow, but they had been non violently ended which had relieved the new UEG Council. Sixteen cities in the European continent, Asian Continent, and the African Continent were already built and thriving. Not to mention the beginning of a massive baby boom that had not been seen on Earth for quite some time. All in all, humanity was finally beginning to heal from it's wounds.

But none would be effected quite as much as a Rick and Lisa. Rick was blissfully sleeping, his nightmares few and far between now a days between the help he was getting from his family, which he included Lisa as such with no hesitation, and the Psychiatrist who specialized in dealing with cases of Post Traumatic Stress. And Rick hadn't been the only one to seek help, Both Ben and Max had went along with a dozen others to come to terms with what they had been forced to do during the war and what they witnessed as Earth was bombarded. While Rick was fairing better, he was by no means healed from it. He still had the occasional nightmare but he hoped they would fade with time. Rick felt himself jerked rudely awake with a pained gasp, clinching into a ball as he rolled off the bed, the pain sharp and immobilizing. He hit the ground with a pitiful whimper, moaning as he tried his best to recover.

"Lisa..." He croaked out, fighting to get to his knees at least. "What the hell? That's two you owe me now."

"Sorry Rick." He heard her pained voice mutter. He could see her outline from where he was and saw that she was sitting up. He blinked away the pain and sleep in his eyes and reached over, turning on the bed side lamp.

"What's wrong?"

She looked to him, her face showing some apprehension mixed with wonder. "I think it's time."

"Time?" He blinked, confused until he got just what she was saying. His pain banished to a dull throb, he jumped to his feet and quickly grabbed the phone, dialing the number for the hospital.

 _"Macross Memorial."_

"This is Commander Hunter. Captain Hayes says the baby is coming!"

 _"Alright. Is she able to move on her own?"_

Rick glanced and spotted Lisa already wrapping a robe around her swollen belly and making her way for her shoes. "Affirmative."

 _"Okay, we need you to come directly to the hospital."_

"What about Lisa?"

The voice at the other end barely held back a laugh as they answered. _"Her too."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick rubbed his eyes, his nerves frayed as he and Lisa sat in the hospital room while said woman idly flipped through the channels on the TV. He glanced up and spotted the news channel she had paused on as all she'd been doing was just going through them, muttering something about lack of enjoyable programs. His eyes bulged as he spotted the news headline that was plastered at the bottom quarter of the screen. _"...and we've heard that Captain Lisa Hayes, you're very own Miss Macross is currently in labor at Macross Memorial. No one close to the Captain has offered any word on her progress, but we do know that Commander Rick Hunter, one of the most highly decorated Pilots from the War is at her side as we speak, supporting his fiancee through the birth of their child. Even Miss Lynn Minmei was spotted entering the hospital herself just minutes ago to give her own support to the couple. We'll update as we get them."_

Rick's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as the headline still stuck on the screen, baring the phrase: Littlest Hunter on the Way!

"Well, it is catchy." Lisa remarked dryly.

"I take back what I said." Rick grumbled, closing his eyes in agitation. "The vultures aren't funny anymore."

Lisa smirked as a sharp rap was heard and the door opened enough for a head to poke through. Rick glanced over and spotted Minmei smiling at them. "Can I come in?"

"Sure you can!" Lisa called, wincing as another contraction hit her.

"You look great Lisa." Minmei greeted as she stepped into the room, holding a bag in her hands. "And Rick...you look..."

"I look like crap, but thanks for trying to be nice about it." He grinned tiredly, his jaw baring the stubble of his unshaven face and his eyes showing his lack of sleep, but he seemed in good spirits.

Both woman gave a light laugh as Rick stretched in his chair.

"How long have you been here?" Minmei asked them, her head cocked with curiosity.

"Around...six hours now." Rick answered "Jean said it could take longer, but she should be in soon to check on her."

"Yes. She just had to point that little fact out." Lisa drawled in annoyance. "I'm just ready to have this baby. At least I know it's a Hunter though. It's not following my simple instructions just like it's Daddy. And being a complete pain!"

Rick stuck his tongue out at her, much to the amusement of the two woman.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miriya watched Lisa with a careful eye as the woman grunted again in pain. "Perhaps I may rethink my stance on pregnancy."

"It's worth it Miriya." Lisa told her confidently before another contraction wracked her body. "But I wish the baby would just get out of me already."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Claudia walked back to the waiting room and spotted Roy wincing as he heard a loud angry scream of Rick's name followed by a yelp from said man. "Rick's fine. Jean said Lisa is now in the final stretch."

"How is she Claudia?" Gloval asked from his spot next to Mitch, both men looking worse for wear.

"In pain. But it's to be expected." She shrugged. "If they'd have been responsible, Roy and I would have probably beaten them in the children department."

"I beat Rick isn't fairing any better." Roy smirked knowingly and his wife shrugged with her own smirk. "He's probably going to pass out from how stressed he is."

"Rick's actually handling it wonderfully. Right by her side and being a loving, supporting fiancee." Claudia smirked. "But with Lisa having a rather strong grip...he made need a cast after this is done."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"HUNTER! YOU COME NEAR ME AND I'M CHOPPING IT OFF!"

Jean smirked as she watched all the color drain from Rick's face at Lisa's threat. "Violent. I'm sure you didn't mind that part of him nine months ago."

Lisa glared at her friend, gnashing her teeth as another wave of pain hit her. She screwed her eyes shut tightly as a few pained tears slipped out. "Oh God...just get this baby out of me Jean!"

Rick gently took Lisa's hand in his own and felt the sudden crushing force making him wince. He felt horrible that she was in pain and he could do nothing by try to comfort her through this all. He felt so useless at this point. He ran his thumb across her cheek and wiped the tears away. "You're doing great Lisa. I'm proud of you."

Lisa opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him.

"Okay Lisa. On your next contraction, I need you to push."

Rick helped Lisa into a more upright position, and kept his grip on her hand. Jean nodded and kept her place by Lisa's feet. Lisa felt the next contraction was upon her and clamped down on Rick's hand as her whole body tensed and she pushed, crying out in pain. He knew she was waning in strength each time she tensed. He did what he could to encourage her all the while keeping his own discomfort from his hand from showing. If she could deal with literally birthing a new life, he could deal with a broken hand if it came to it.

"The baby is crowning! I need one more push from you Lisa." Jean told her firmly, but gently as she knew how much pain the woman was under. "One more and you can finally meet your baby."

"I-I can't...Hurts..."

"You can do this Lisa. You're the strongest person I know! We'll do it as a team. Okay?"

Lisa gave a weak nod as she felt the next one coming. With a pained scream tinged with exhaustion, Lisa put all her force into the final push and felt a sudden immense release before she slumped over onto Rick, panting as he was whispering how proud he was of her and how much he loved her. She slowly opened her eyes as a sudden wail was heard and saw Jean holding the newborn that was crying it's little lungs out. She watched with teary eyes as Rick used his shaky hands to cut the umbilical cord. A nurse quickly took the babe, cleaning it fairly quickly and with in moments, the baby was swaddled in a warm and fluffy blanket. Lisa wiped tears from her eyes as the nurse placed the baby in her arms. Bright blue eyes looked up and met her own green ones. Lisa could see the small tuft of dark blonde hair on it's head.

"Do you have a name for the newest Hunter?" Jean asked pleasantly as she stepped beside Lisa and Rick. Both new parents were still looking to their baby in awe before Lisa spoke, her eyes not leaving the little bundle held in her arms.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It sounds like it's over." Pop muttered, slumping back in his chair.

"Wonder if little Rick is still attached." Roy chuckled, his own relief clear.

Claudia grinned at her husband. "I'm sure Jean wouldn't allow Lisa to hurt him...much. Just think. Someday you'll be in Rick's shoes."

They laughed at Roy's grimace before said man smiled brightly. Despite the rather hectic nature of what had transpired, he was still looking forward to eventually starting a family with Claudia. The laughter in the room was broken as Jean came out, smiling brightly.

"How are they?" Claudia asked her sister.

"They're fine. Lisa did beautifully. A beautiful baby girl weighing six pounds and four ounces came screaming into the world at seven forty-two."

"Yeah, that's Rick's kid alright!" Roy laughed as the others joined in.

"Did they have a name for her?" Mitch asked from where he was sitting.

"They did. Kaylee."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"She is beautiful."

Rick smiled with pride as the group gathered around the glass window to look in on the newest member of the greater Hunter/Fokker family. "She is. I think she'll look just like Lisa."

"Rick, I'm sure you'd have just cloned a mini-Lisa if you could have." Roy teased. "We all know you worship the ground she walks on!"

Rick just grinned in response and turned to his family. Of which he most certainly considered the tall Russian standing at the rear of the crowd. "Yeah well, that's true."

They all laughed as Pop clasped a hand on Rick's shoulder, his eyes shinning with emotions. "This is a great day for you my boy. I know you'll be a damn good father."

Rick smiled at his father and hugged the older man. "That's because I had a great one."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa sighed as she shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable as Kaylee slept peacefully beside her. To her left, Rick was sprawled across the chair, a light snore coming from the man. She couldn't help by smile at the sight as he had pulled the not overly comfortable chair next to them both, his hand clutched by the finger by their sleeping daughter's tiny little fist. She knew Kaylee would have Rick wrapped round her little finger, though from the stuffed yellow dog sitting by her night bag, she'd wager the little girl already did. He hadn't left the hospital since the baby was born, adamantly saying he'd leave when they did. Yawning, Lisa decided to get some rest. She'd just ask whoever stopped by tomorrow to pull him out to get some food and a shower.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I am not hovering."

Henry chuckled as he entered the room, a small bag baring a gift for the baby in his hand as he heard Rick's voice. The sight before him only made him smile as Lisa was giving Rick an amused look, the baby in her arms and gurgling at her. The man in question was pouting at Lisa as she looked to the door and gave Henry a wide smile. "Well, this is perfect timing sir. You can order Rick to stop hovering and go get some real food. And a shower."

"Hey! No playing the Admiral card!" Rick's pout intensified as he crossed his arms. "And I am not hovering."

"Rick, you slept in a chair. Haven't eaten since night before last...and you smell."

He opened his mouth and quickly shut it, growling in defeat after chancing a sniff of his arm pits, discreetly. "Alright. You may have a point."

Henry just chuckled and shook his head at the pair. He was glad his instincts about them were correct. They truly were meant for each other.

"I wished to offer my congratulations and must say, she is a beautiful little one."

"Thank you sir."Lisa smiled. "Would you like to hold her?"

Henry paused, seeing the smile on both of their faces and nodded slowly. Rick moved to help place the baby gently in Henry's arms and the tall Russian looked down at the small child. The infant looked up at him with wonder and reached up a tiny hand towards his face, probably in wonder at his mustache. He chuckled and put his finger in her little hand. "She is surprisingly alert for a day old baby."

"Well, she does have a very smart Mom." Rick smirked. "You know, you're the first one to hold her in the family."

Henry looked to the pair, astonished at Rick's words and saw the fully honesty in their faces. He found himself smilingly warmly at his two favorite officers and had to blink a few tears from his eyes. "I am honored."

"No sir." Lisa corrected with a teary smile. "It's our honor."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You look beat Rick."

Rick lifted his head just enough to see who it was that spoke and spotted Max smirking at him. "I love my daughter Max. With all my heart. But does she have to wake up every two hours in the night?"

Max and Ben chuckled as they dropped next to the man. It had been three days since Lisa and Kaylee had been released from the hospital and it looked like Rick had maybe gotten ten hours total sleep in that time. But they knew he didn't mind. His smile showed as much.

"The joys of fatherhood." Ben chuckled. "Just wait until she's a teenager Rick."

His mind sprouted forth an image of his daughter as a teenager and a growl escaped his lips as the thoughts of her dating sprang to mind. "Now I know why Admiral Hayes was such a hard man."

"Ah cheer up Rick." Max pat his friend on the shoulder. "It's all gonna be fine. How's Lisa?"

"She's doing great." Rick's scowl turned to a smile as he grabbed the coffee in front of him. "She's a natural mother. She's really great with the baby."

"I'm sure she is. Hey, did ya get that mobile up in time?" Ben asked, curious.

"You bet I did!" Rick grinned widely. "Kaylee seems to really like it! Every time I spin it, she just stares up at it and giggles! Well, I think it's a giggle anyway. She's gonna be a pilot! I just know it."

The two men grinned as they watched their friend stare off into space with a proud grin. Rick seemed to take to fatherhood like a fish to water and it was great to see him so happy.

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Khyron smirked as he crossed his arms, looking over the activity from the commander center of his vessel. A sense of power filled the man and he felt confident his plan would work. His victory would ensure his ultimate goal came to fruition.

"All ships report ready for fold."

His smirk became a predatory smile. "Today, we behold victory. We shall succeed, or die in our righteous mission. Begin Operation Starburst. It's time to show these Micronians just who they are dealing with."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Commander Brreetai sighed once more as he read over the reports before him. Three hundred and seventy two more Zentradi Loyalists had been executed with in the last four days for attempts at undermining the alliance he had forged with the Humans. He firmly believed it was a fruitful partnership for his people and the Humans. For all the Zentradi's martial prowess, they lacked the ability to fully repair their aging vessels, usually just scuttling them once the accumulated abuse became too much and they were more of a liability to a fleet than an advantage. He himself had lost near one thousand ships over his long career for those reasons alone. And it was only because he refused to needlessly waste lives and resources to over run an opponent. Breetai's strongest weapon was his own mind. And he had used it to an extremely effective degree. He let a weary grin cross his lips as he had never been denied his victory until he met his match in one Fleet Admiral Henry Gloval. He could never question the man's ability as the human had successful waged a one ship war against his own fleet, bleeding him dry of men and material. Not to mention Breetai thoroughly enjoyed talking with the human over everything from war game scenarios to the more philosophical aspects of one's existence. He was truly a wise man and Breetai felt no shame in saying he considered Gloval a friend.

And Gloval had done much for his people. He brought aid in the form of repair crews and technicians to help show the Zentradi warriors how to properly maintain and correct any problems they had with their ships. In fact, efficiency on his own flagship was up by near fifteen percent. And the repairs were not even yet complete. Many of his men were astonished at the sheer technical ability of the humans, some even going as far to befriend the smaller beings. In fact, a few were gathering in one of the empty hangers tomorrow for something called Poker with the humans. And this was something Breetai fully supported. With the threat of the RoboTech Masters hanging over their heads, they needed to be strong and united to face them. Breetai feared that even if they did stand firm as one, the fight would be far from easy. Or as one Marine he heard put it, a 'Cake Walk.' He grunted as he heard a short beep from his monitor and activated the device, spotting a grim faced Exedore. "Yes? What is it my friend?"

"Our long range sensors have detected multiple defolds . The drive signatures match to one thousand of Dolza's ships that had not arrived in system with the main fleet. They appear to be massing near the point Dolza arrived."

Breetai narrowed his eyes, and brought up a second display, rubbing his chin as his mind began going over possible courses of action. "That is strange. A year after the main fleet arrived, these ships defold in system. Navigation error perhaps?"

Exedore gave a contemplating look before his answered, though Breetai was able to see he did not believe it possible.

"It could be. However, I find it more likely they are under the thrall of our 'loose cannon' as the Humans say."

"Khyron." Breetai snarled.

"Quite."

"Are the human's mobilizing?" Breetai questioned.

"Yes, but as you know they are still dealing with the devastation to their world and trying to rebuild their fleet. I believe it is in our hands to defend them this time."

Breetai gave an understanding nod. "They have done much for us despite our rough first meeting. We owe it to them to stand before this armada. Inform Admiral Gloval we will intercept and eliminate this threat. One way or another."

Breetai shut the display off and rose to his feet, stepping to the platform edge and looked around his men.

"Send orders to all ships. Fourth, Ninth, and Tenth squadrons are to form on the flagship. All remaining vessels are to remain in Orbit and assume a defensive position. Tactical, bring all weapons from stand by to active targeting mode. All batteries are to stand ready for combat. Helm, bring us on intercept trajectory for the incoming hostile ships."

The two warriors snapped to and began issuing the Commanders orders as he turned to his operations officer. "All Regults, Gluag, and gnerls are to be in the black in one minutes. Their orders are to engage enemy air wing. Leave the capital ships to us."

In high Earth orbit, sixteen hundred Zentradi warships broke away from the near thousand left, and accelerated away, their engines flaring brilliantly as they moved off into the black of space to engage the oncoming warships.

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"All personnel report to your action stations. Incoming enemy fleet detected. All pilots scramble. This is not a drill."

Rick Hunter sprinted down the hall towards the locker room, panting as he almost bowled over a Tech that had been trying to fix a blown relay when the alert went up. Yelling an apology, Rick skidded to a halt before slamming the door open and moving past the few pilots getting suited up. He quickly began yanking on his flight suit as Max moved beside him, cocking a single eyebrow as he himself got ready. "Aren't you on Paternal Leave?"

"Not you too." Rick grumbled, his fingers quickly zipping up his flight suit. "Lisa said the same thing after the Admiral ordered her to stay put."

Rick turned to leave when Max gripped his shoulder, stopping him. Rick glanced at Max in confusion and saw his serious face. "Rick, you have a daughter now. You can sit this one out."

Rick gave him a grateful smile but shook his head.

"I know Max. And that's why I'm doing this. Lisa and Kaylee deserve to live in a peaceful and safe world. I'll go up every day I have to if that's what it takes to make damn sure that future comes to them."

Max watched as Rick left and sighed. Ben appeared to his left and shook his head, grinning.

"There goes one hell of a family man."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Skull One to SDF Control. Gassed up and ready for the road trip."

Sammie snapped on and gave him an annoyed look. _"Shouldn't you be with your fiancee and daughter Commander?"_

"Not you as well Sammie!" Rick groaned and shook his head. "Look, I just need clearance to take off. Not a lecture. So can I have it or do I need to call Claudia instead?"

She was not amused and glared at him. _"Fine. I'll just let Captain Hayes deal with you later. And I'll tell her how mean you were to me."_

"Roger Control." Rick smirked. "Thank you for the clearance and you have a wonderful day Sammie!"

She clicked off the com and Rick chuckled before activating his squadron wide com. "Alright Skull, let's light the fires and kick the tires."

The rumble filled the cockpit as Rick looked to the launch crew. He gave a thumbs up and braced himself. He wasn't disappointed. The catapult shot forward, yanking Skull One down the flight deck of the Prometheus. Rick grabbed the stick quickly as the craft left the deck and banked right, his nose pointed skyward as his mounts wings swept back to make her more aerodynamic. With in twenty minutes, every plane the SDF-1 had was air borne, climbing rapidly to space. Rick chanced a look at his console and smiled at the picture he'd snapped of Lisa and Kaylee, one Lisa had let him take as she had said she looked like crap after giving birth. It showed Lisa sitting up in her hospital bed and smiling at the camera, holding Kaylee at an angle so the camera could catch the little girl. Rick ran a thumb once over the image and swore to them he would return. The sky rapidly darkened until Rick could see the stars and felt the feeling of gravity dropping off as he and his flight joined the orbiting defense fleet. His keen eyes spotted the surviving eight human warships that had come through Dolza's attack. If he looked to his right and strained his eyes, he'd see the new shipyards that had been constructed to begin rebuilding the fleet.

The new yards were designed to handle the newest designs in the human fleet. The first of the Tristar-class Cruisers was currently being constructed with maybe ten percent of her frame built. In the smaller docks attached to the main yards, ARMD, Oberths, and the rather interesting Banshee class were all undergoing construction. But Rick didn't even glance to them as none of them were no where complete enough to be of help. Rick spotted the ships moving to engage the incoming fleet and opened a channel to the command ship, one of the few Human and Zentradi crewed cruisers. "DefFoce Commnad, Skull One. Got a perch for eighteen antsy birds?"

The panel snapped on showing the amused face of Captain Jefferies. "Shouldn't you be at home watching your little girl Hunter?"

Rick sighed and shook his head. "Lisa and Kaylee are back home, safe. And I intend to keep it that way."

"Uh huh." Jefferies smirked. "Well, if you need a place to sit and look pretty, Sector six has a hole or two in it. Feel free to park there and enjoy the show. Gee Dunk is closed right now, but I can get you front row seats to the bout."

"I'll take um." Rick chuckled. "Skull and Vermilion will take Sector Six. Black Knights, post cover over the yards. Don't let them scratch the paint."

Ben's grinning face kicked on. "You know me Boss. Careful as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Breetai took a calming breath and looked over the display before tapping his com panel. "Attention approaching Zentradi Fleet. This planet is under my personal protection. If you value your lives, you will stand down and prepare to be boarded. You have thirty seconds to shut down your weapons and cut your engines. Failure to comply will result in...unpleasant consequences."

He watched and waited as the enemy fleet moved forward, undaunted. Breetai let a feral smile grace his face as he watched the timer tick to zero.

"So be. Blast them to bits!"

The massive Defending fleet opened fire as one. Reflex cannons, laser batteries, and missiles streaked from Breetai's fleet, slamming into the leading edge of the enemy fleet. Fifty three cruisers were cored from stem to stern, bursting into spheres of primordial destruction as their reactors blew. Twenty-two spun from formation, their holes riddled with breeches and were spewing smoke and internal atmosphere. The ships behind those leading ships answered in unison, their own weapons reaching out and tearing into Breetai's fleet. Seventy-three were outright destroyed, older ships that had yet to undergo the extensive repairs they Humans had begun on the allied ships. The flagship pushed ahead, her guns firing with out pause as lasers pelted against her tough armor. The brutal onslaught she faced would have killed a lesser ship, but Breetai's flagship was made tougher and meaner than any current Zentradi ship, soaking up the fire as she barreled onward.

"Prepare for dual broadside!"

The Flagship broke through the enemy line, her batteries strobbing with raw power, raking across the hulls of the two smaller warships to her flanks. Missiles flew out of her sides, wreaking havoc across their hulls. His fleet wasn't inactive as they split into four different directions. One group to each side, and one above and one below, their guns blasting away. More enemy ships began to fall as Breetai's fleet moved quickly, using their weakness as an advantage: Their bulk made it hard to turn quickly and Breetai was anticipating the enemy commander to break his lines and give chase as most Zentradi would. Standard doctrine was to eliminate any resistance and then move to complete your objective. He just hadn't anticipated his assumption to be used against him.

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Khyron watched with a careful eye as the display showed the real time battle updates. He watched the icon signifying Breetai's command ship moving deeper into the center of the attacking fleet and smiled darkly.

"As the Micronians you so love like to say Breetai...karma is a bitch. Initiate program."

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Breetai realized something as wrong as the enemy ships began to fire their station keeping thrusters, shifting their flight paths closer together as if trying to block his pass. His ship shuddered as one of them scrapped right across his port side, tearing at armor though thankfully not penetrating it.

"Sir! Massive power surges in the enemy fleets reactors! They are building to overload!"

Breetai wasted no time barking his orders. "Down zero four zero! Ahead Flank! All ships, break and reform over Earth!"

Around his ship, dozens of enemy ships began to expanding alarmingly fast as the flagship began to 'dive' through the ever closing enemy ships, engines burning brightly as dozens of new stars began to form around his ship. Normally, a reactor overload wasn't too much of a threat as the vacuum absorbed a lot the the energy from such explosions. But when hundreds began to go in sequence, they fueled each other enough o inflict plenty of damage. The flagship disappeared from view as two hundred reactors directly around her went in massive explosions.

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"Starburst underway my lord!" Grel reported from his station. Khyron nodded his understanding and checked his display.

"Initiate the next phase."

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Rick watched in stunned silence as the massive balls of fire could be seen from where he was sitting. He gave a low whistle at seeing such destruction before a bright light began to fill the area. His hesitation only lasted half a second before he began barking his orders. "Skull! Break! Break! Break!"

Skull One shot off and up from where she had been sitting as a fold sphere appeared not even a dozen feet from where he had been sitting. He could hear dozens of curses as Veritechs that had been sitting still for the most part, were forced to quickly move away from the emerging ships. Rick chanced a glance and winced from the hundreds of lights came to life inside their formations. The comms came to life as colorful curses came from his pilots as Zentradi ships faded into view as the light disappeared. Rick cursed rather loudly as he rolled his bird out of the way from a wave of laser fire directed at him.

 _"All units, all units, break and engage!"_

Rick growled as he shifted directly to battloid and began firing his guns, blasting a handful of annoying enemy fighters out of the sky before he spotted something that made his blood run cold.

"Command! Twenty-two destroyers are headed for atmo!"

 _"Damn it! Can you engage?"_

Rick opened his mouth to answer before he was forced to dive away from a thirty onrushing pods, all firing sickly blue lasers with a few missiles, fully putting Rick on the defensive as he tried to get clear long enough to start bringing the odds in his favor."Negative! Knight defensive!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Air raid sirens blared to life as personnel rushed to their stations. Lisa held her daughter tightly as she made her way to the shelters. Despite wanting nothing more than to be on the bridge with her comrades to defend against the attacking Zentradi, her motherly instincts overrode that desire as her number one priority was the small bundle she held tightly to her chest. Thankfully for her, Miriya was with her, refusing to leave her friend in her time of need. Though if Lisa was right, Rick had ordered her to keep an eye on Lisa and the baby. Ever since Miriya had learned what being a Godmother meant, she was fiercely devoted to her duty to her friends and their child. Not to mention Kaylee really seemed to like her as unlike with Roy, she never once cried or spit up on her. The two woman rounded the corner closest to the shelters and spotted Minmei helping to direct the civilians inside, her face set in determination. The woman spotted the trip and quickly motioned them to get in side. "Rick called ahead to ask me to make sure you guys got here!"

Lisa couldn't help but smile at how protective Rick was over them both and just shook her head as they entered. "I don't know whether to love him for his devotion or kick his scrawny little butt for being a mother hen."

Minmei grinned as they sat on an empty bench, Kaylee trying to look around in curiosity at this new place she was in. Miriya just smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not both? It works wonders with Max."

Lisa and Minmei laughed in response.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Twenty-two Zentradi destroyers broke through the cloud bank, steam and smoke pouring off their hulls from their sharp decent through Earths slightly thicker than normal atmosphere and leveled out, settling into a flying wedge as they began passing over the Pacific Ocean. They had one objective. And that objective was the Battlefortress. The ships passed over the ocean fairly quickly and were passing over what was left of California before turning more northerly to follow the coastline to Alaska.

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"Incoming Enemy Vessels. Twenty-two Destroyer tonnage vessel." Kim reported briskly.

"Status on main battery?"

"Main gun is charging. Will be ready to fire in two minutes." Claudia kept a sharp eye on her display.

Admiral Gloval nodded, watching his own tactical display. _'We are not yet ready to fight off a fleet this size yet. Not on our own."_

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Khyron placed his hands behind his back and watched the hive of activity as he felt now was the time to engage the finally part of his plan. He'd either killed or at least knocked Breetai out of the fight for now, tied up the defending ships in orbit, and would soon have the SDF-1 either resting in wreckage or distracted long enough for him to pull off his final phase. "Deploy the Citadel."

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Rick rolled away from the final pod before twisting around and catching the annoying little bug, turning it into pure confetti. He took a moment to relax and get his breath back before checking his displays and frowned before shooting off towards one of the larger captured Zentradi ships that the humans and Zentradi were crewing. "All birds, looks like the midship defense guns are down on _Ticonderoga_. Let's give them a hand."

Skull One shifted forms and rocketed off in fighter mode as five other fighters formed up on his wing. Rick watched as wave after wave of Battlepods and fighters began attack runs, blasting holes in the armor belt. The abused cruiser was trying to pull clear long enough to get their secondary batteries back on line. Skull One swoop upon her prey like an avenging angel, her own guns spewing death to all who crossed her. Around him, fighters danced to a deadly tune as explosions dotted the starfield around him before a harsh light flared to his right. He blinked several times to clear the spots from his eyes before turned and gasping in shook. A massive whale like ship, distinctly a Zentradi design, was speeding forward, It almost looked like it had an open mouth that was glowing an unnatural green color. And it was going to ram the _Ticonderoga._ Rick knew the big ship wouldn't be able to move away as it used what few weapons it had left to fire at the oncoming bull.

"All fights clear _Ticonderoga's_ airspace! Get clear right fucking now!" Rick ordered, throwing his own fighter on a course to clear the area, his engines flaring brilliantly with power as Skull One sped to get away from the impending collision.

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"Citadel is in position and moving to the objective."

"Excellent. Order the remaining ships to press the attack. We need to keep them busy for a few more minutes."

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Breetai woke with a groan and a painful throb of his head. Stumbling to his feet, he steadied himself with help from the desk as he tried to get rid of the blasted ringing in his ears. He snarled in anger as his eyes took in the ravaged bridge of his ship. He'd been bested. His own arrogance had been used against him. Khyron had actually managed to best him, Breetai. The man gave a slight nod in respect for Khyron as it wasn't often Breetai was outmaneuvered. But then again, he had anticipated some kind of trick and smiled darkly as main power was restored. "Send message to group two. Execute."

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From the mountains near the SDF-1, four hundred Allied ships rose into the crisp and cool air, engines firing and weapons glowing a bright blue as they readied themselves for combat. Directly ahead of them, the destroyers seemed to slow as thy registered the new threat and began to turn to meet it. A foolish idea as the main guns on the leading cruiser fired, holding more than sufficient firepower to shred them to pieces. Twenty-two explosions lit up the night sky as the four hundred strong battlegroup began their assent to orbit.

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"Where in blazes did those ships come from?" Khyron demanded. "How did our little spy not notice four hundred cruisers sitting that close to the damned fortress?"

"I don't know sir. But the Citadel is in position." Grel responded.

"Tell them to hurry. They must get the objective with out delay!"

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 _"All Units, reinforcements have arrived, just hold out for a little longer!"_

Ben growled in frustration as he chased after a rather annoying fighter that seemed determined to shoot down Party Boy. Knight Six was completely defensive and grunting with effort to keep out of the enemy sights and keep himself alive. "Hold still you little bug."

 _"Bruiser, you wanna shoot this guy off me?!"_

"Hold your horses Party Boy. He's dancing all over the place." Ben snarled as his burst missed the fighter. He pulled back and yelped in surprise as the pod exploded from a burst of gun fire before Ben scowled. "Who took my kill?"

 _"Sorry Bruiser. You missed so I decided to step in."_ The cheery voice of Deadbolt responded, her veritech diving down to form up off Ben's wing. _"It was fair game."_

"You owe me for that one Deadbolt." Ben smirked as he chanced a look at the pilot as she waved merrily at him.

 _"I'll make it up to you tonight Bruiser."_ She laughed as Party Boy took his spot to Ben's right.

 _"They've been kicking our ass here. Nice to see the tables have been turned."_

Ben and his pilots flew between a few burning wrecks and could see secondary explosions from the ammo cooking off inside the hulls and his face became grim as several wrecked veritechs drifted into view. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

 _"Bruiser, Spector You guys okay over there?"_

Ben clicked the com and Max's face snapped into focus on his com panel. "Just a few bumps on our end. How's the main fight shaping up?"

 _"It's mostly simmering down. Some kind of massive Zentradi ship folded in. Slammed right into the_ Ticonderoga _before it headed off to the boneyard. Grabbed ten disabled battle cruisers before encompassing the prison ships in a fold sphere. So that's a bad thing for us."_

"No kidding." Ben winced. "That's what? 50,000 more soldiers under Khyron's banner now? Not to mention that's some serious firepower he just snatched from us."

Max opened his mouth to reply before Rick's tired voice came in over the communications line. _"You guys are okay? How many did you lose?"_

"Six of my guys are down but managed to punch out Boss."

 _"Three punched and I have beacons, but four that punched aren't squawking Skipper."_

Rick sighed and nodded his head. _"Alright. SAR is scrambling. If the rest of your flights can get ground side with out trouble, make for Home Base. If they can't, land at the dockyard for repairs and return once they are complete. Skull One, out."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron walked through the halls towards the assemble area inside his rather cozy base, smiling victoriously as he did so. This was a great day and the warriors from the Citadel confirmed they had their prize. They'd managed to not only complete their goal of disrupting the Micronians reconstruction efforts, but also managed to grab more than enough ships to make up double for the losses they suffered in their mission. And with the matrix they grabbed, Khyron would now be able to rebuild the mighty Zentrai fleet. He entered the bay as the doors swished open and his warriors came to attention. He walked past them and took his place at the front of the crowd.

"Warriors!" He called amongst the silence. "Today we have achieved a great victory over our enemies! We have crippled their defenses and sown discord among them! And you have done so with your own hands! You bring honor to yourselves!"

The crowd roared their approval as Khyron grinned. He raised a single hand to quiet them.

"But it was not with out sacrifice. The mirconians and the traitors spilled the blood of many of our kin. Our comrades! And they have spit upon our honor! But we have struck back! And we will continue to strike back until they have paid for their transgressions in blood ten fold!"

The crowd listened intently as Khyron spoke. Not a sound was made as their leader continued.

"It will take time to build ourselves back up to crush them under our heel like the insects they are. And with our victory today, we have ensured our success. Not only have you freed our imprisoned brothers, but you have taken the key in which we will unlock the gates of victory. Behold!"

He gestured with a flourish as four massive metal tubes rose from the deck behind him, glowing a pale blue even with containment shields surrounding them. They hummed with raw power and the men all felt the charge in the air. "We have taken what is rightfully ours! With these matrixes, we can begin to march towards our ultimate goal! We will drag the battlefortress back to our Masters, a lifeless husk while we leave this planet to burn in the fires of time! Forgotten and lifeless as it belongs! Stay strong my brothers, for one day soon, we will have our ultimate victory!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick dropped onto the couch and sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. The debrief had been a nightmare for all of them. Fifty-eight families would be informed of their loss by this time tomorrow. Fifty-eight letters he had written today. Roy, now Commodore Fokker, tried to be supportive of Rick but as much as he tried, the young Commander couldn't help but feel the weight of each of those deaths weigh heavily upon him. He opened his eyes as he heard a small cry and rose from the couch with a groan, making his way to the bed room where Lisa and Kaylee were asleep. His daughter stopped her cry as Rick smiled down at her. With deft hands, Rick scooped her into his arms and looked towards Lisa's sleeping form. Her face had scrunched up from the cry before it relaxed and Rick felt his breath catch in his chest at how beautiful she looked. Like a true angel. Rick smiled and looked down at his infant daughter as her blue eyes locked onto his. "Mommy sure is beautiful. And I bet you'll look just like her."

The young father exited the room and made his way to the kitchen and fixed the baby her bottle with some difficultly. He still couldn't do it as well as Lisa could with one hand but he managed. He was just thankful she didn't have a spoiled diaper as it was still a skill he was trying to get the hang of. Lisa had laughed herself into a coughing fit the first time he had tried. The poor man had ended up somehow covering not only himself but Kaylee in baby powder and had been staring at the fresh diaper in his hands in frustration as he couldn't figure out how to secure it properly. Rick made his way to the couch and began to feed the hungry little one with a loving smile on his face. Seeing her tiny face and Lisa's sleeping form, Rick felt that he could weather the coming storm as long as he had them both.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lisa stretched out the next morning, waking with a sigh. She hadn't had a full nights sleep in some time. Her eyes snapped open in pure terror as she realized that she hadn't waken once through the night. Shooting out of bed, she quickly went to the crib, her heart clenching in her chest as she checked to see if Kaylee was okay. Seeing the baby was not in the crib, Lisa felt a trickle of fear enter her as she made her way cautiously to the bed room door and opened it. What she saw brought a warm smile to her face. Rick was passed out, his head leaning against the back of the couch while Kayless was asleep in his arms, her little hands gripping the blanket Rick had wrapped her in. Being a quiet as she could, she grabbed her the digital camera from her dresser drawer and moved silently towards the sleeping pair. She double checked to make sure the flash was off before snapping the picture. Giving them one more warm smile, she returned the camera to it's proper place before she gently woke Rick. He woke with a snort that startled the baby awake. Lisa could have almost sworn her daughter glared at her for waking them but it was instantly replaced by a toothless grin as Kaylee gurgled happily at her. The father blinked awake before smiling tiredly at Lisa. "Hey. Morning."

"Morning." Lisa responded before giving him a kiss. "Sleep well?"

He smiled and nodded as Lisa took Kaylee into her arms. "Kinda. Our daughter seems to like kicking me awake when she wants something. Although she is a great space heater!"

* * *

 **A/N: So what did ya'll think? By the way, favor to ask. could you watch the youtube video I'm putting the link to? Just delete the spaces. It's a robotech video I made and I'm rather proud of it. Here's the link:**

 **www . youtube watch ?v = 1iey BSP7r2w &t = 102s**


	20. Chapter 20 Quiet Time

**A/N: Alright! hope this chapter clears up some confusion from the last chapter. And some of you actually completely missed the reference in the last one! I hadn't even realized I made an independence day one until I went back and reread it! That was completely unintentional for Khyron to sorta quote Russ lol! The one I was referencing to was actually from Star Trek Voyager from the End Game episode series finally. The Part where Rick was calling the hospital was homage to when Tom Paris was calling the doctor when Belanna thought she was going into labor lol. But, I rolled with the ID one and added an intentional one here this time! And yes sscaldwe, you gave me the idea lol. And yeah, I like the name Kaylee. Funny thing is, I actually got it from Firefly. I have a crush on here lol! I am a proud Browncoat! anyway, promised it would be up today, so here ya go guys! Lots of character type stuff, no real action yet. That comes next chapter. I laughed hard when writing the patrol scene and the little gathering later on in the Chapter. I made Sammie devious here lol!**

 **A/N2: Made a whoopsie. Forgot reflex cannons aren't capable of being placed on an ARMD. The SDF-1 has the smallest they can make it. Thanks andrewjameswilliams for catching that! Appreciate you looking out for me big guy! And when do we get a new chapter for Second Chances?!**

* * *

Chapter 20

Admiral Gloval sighed and sat in his chair, looking over the reports from the last few weeks since Khyron's rather bold attack. It had actually been a tactical success for the crazed alien. The allied fleet had taken a pretty good hit on the nose from it while Khyron walked away with with his prize. As to what that prize was, Henry had been told yesterday after Breetai had done a full inventory check and had informed him that four matrices had been sprinted away by Khyron. As it was told to him, one of the battle cruisers also doubled as an emergency fuel tender, or at least it was the only one not destroyed during the battle with Dolza almost two years ago. He sighed and set his weary gaze on the construction reports before him. So far, at least that information was uplifting. The shipyards were working hard to rebuild the fleet that had been ripped to shreds over the course of the year or so that they'd been dealing with the Zentradi and the Rain of Death, Due in no small part to Breetai, they'd managed to start fabricating the more durable armor plates that the Zentradi used to cover the Human ships so they hopefully wouldn't be taken down with the opening fleet salvos. The ARMD MkII refit actually made the human made ships much more deadly than the MKIs. Heavier armor was only the tip of that iceberg. Using recovered primary weapons along with help gained from Breetai and his men, they'd reverse engineered the weapons and applied that knowledge to the secondary batteries on the ARMD. The tri-barreled lasers had been reduced in numbers from four to two, and relocated to the mid ship point. Her main forward weapons where reverse engineered particle cannons tucked neatly into her bow structures, two on each side. While the lasers still could pack a punch, they were no longer her main ship to ship weapon for broadsides. Four, three barrel mounted turrets were placed where the original laser batteries had been. The 400mm rounds had proven themselves capable of blowing holes in Zentradi Armor. Perfect weapons for a broadside. When the ARMD MkII came knocking, those guns would ensure she was heared.

They'd also redesigned the engine block and reactor systems. No longer were the ARMDs underpowered, as the reactor that sat in it's core had tripled in efficiency and provided nearly double what she would need in a fight, it made her faster as the new engines were close to seventy percent more powerful over her second generation ion fusion engines. The new Hydrogen Fusion engines installed on her were actually a MKII version of the ones the SDF-1 had built into her keel. The fuel source, H3 was readily available from the refineries in orbit of Jupiter and Saturn. The final major edge she had been gifted with was her main guns. The primary batteries had been redesigned with better power transfer relays and capacitors to increase not only the power behind the beam they unleashed, but also the rate of fire. She was faster, hit harder, and was harder to kill. And with her reflex warheads tucked safely in her belly, she could and would reach out and touch you should you find yourself on the wrong end of her anger.

The Oberths were more of an issue as while they'd managed to apply some of the advance to them, they were still too lightly armored to go toe to toe with anything they had come across yet. But that didn't mean they weren't deadlier. They'd added twin 400mm cannons to her, one dorsal and one ventral, giving her more of a bite that just lasers and missiles. Her anitship missiles had actually been swapped out completely for eighteen of the defense missiles that had been used to such great effect against Dolza's ships. One missile became forty in flight and while each smaller missile was not as powerful as her original load out, it allowed her to spam a target with enough explosives to disable at least a Zentradi Destroyer. While she didn't bare as much armor as her heavier cousin, her greatest weapon was her agility. Where as the ARMD did lose some speed from her heavier armor, the Oberth having already been overpowered in the engine department, was fast and quick enough to get around an enemy fleet and hit the weak points. And she could at least now survive running the gantlet to get into position instead of being split in two during the attempt.

These two classes would be all the RDF would be able to rely on for the time being as the newer classes, the Ikazuchi class and the Swordfish were struggling along. The RDF had ordered ten Ikazuchi for the initial run but the ships were slow going. The first was only ten percent along with her frame construction and many of the systems intended for her use were still being developed! According to early reports, it would be another five to ten years until the first would even be commissioned. That was a problem and more than a bit disheartening as those ships, classified as heavy cruiser designs, would be a major help when, not if, Khyron returned for another round. Those ships had been designed to go up against a Zentradi battle cruiser and walk away the winner. They were going to be quick, heavily armed, and armored up to a degree that she'd be able to laugh off anything less than a dozen alpha strikes before she even started to take damage.

And the final design, the Swordfish. An awkward looking ship with a wide body that tapered to a thin forward construction that housed missile tubes and laser batteries. While larger than the ARMD, she was still smaller than the Ikazuchi class and would actually end up armed on par with the ARMD. But they would be eighteen months away from completion. Henry doubted they'd have that much time before Khyron returned. But at least they had more than enough volunteers to cover the nearly three dozen ARMD and Oberths that were nearing completion with in the next three months. All in all, at least they were recovering.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey Bruiser. You and Deadbolt want to stop by for dinner tonight?"

Rick glanced out of his cockpit as he and his two wingman passed over several crashed wrecks, looking for any sign of hostile Zeds hiding in the wreckage. He, Max, and Ben had decided to fly together as a team again. They hadn't flown as a CAP in close to a year and Rick had missed flying with his friends. Speaking of Friends, Ben's grinning face appeared on the screen. "Love to Boss. I know Sarah is itching to see little Kaylee again. I think I should be mad at you for her putting the pressure on me!"

Rick grinned as Ben chuckled. The third panel kicked on showing a somewhat tired Max. Rick gave him a knowing look as Max took a look out of his own cockpit as he spoke.

"Ben, you don't know pressure." Max muttered. "Has Sarah locked you in the bedroom and demanded you give her a baby? Not letting you leave until she knows you've given it your best effort?"

Rick gave a howl of laughter as Max's dead looking eyes seemed to glare at him through the video screen while Ben shook with silent laughter. "So that's why you've looked so tired these past few months."

"I blame you skipper." Max gave a small smile. "It's not really an issue but I wish she'd let it go for one night."

"Well Max, you can always just ask her to stop." Rick commented.

"Have you ever asked a Zentradi dead set on her goal to stop? Last time I did, she still tried to kill me."

Rick paused and blinked before he gave a shrug. "Good point Max. To be honest, having a kid..."

The two men smirked as Rick seemed to get a far off look on his face before they watched his eyes drop to the picture he kept attached to the console of Skull One with a smile.

"It makes all of this worth it."

"Don't doubt it Boss." Ben sighed and glanced out of his canopy, looking over the devastation that still remained, even after nearly a year and a half of work to get Earth back to something livable. "Maybe once it all settles down, I'll talk with Sarah. See how she wants to play this. I just don't think I'm ready to be a Dad yet."

"Don't be stupid Ben." Rick scolded his wingman. "You're great with Kaylee. She absolutely adores you."

"Yeah, and unlike Roy, she never cried when you held her."

"Lisa and I think it's because of Roy's aftershave."

"Could just be his face." Ben laughed and the others grinned.

The three fighters began there return trip, their patrol almost over when Rick spotted something down below and furrowed his brow as he used Skull One laser pod to zoom the camera on it. His eyes went wide as he saw it. A small field of flowers were growing right below him. "I don't believe it!"

Max and Ben were confused and decided to follow his lead, each looking at the field in surprise.

"But..this isn't part of the clean up sector yet."

"Looks like Earth is finally starting to heal on her own." Max smiled at the image. "Ain't that a beautiful sight."

"It sure is Max." Rick had a smile of his own on his face. "Hey, you think Lisa would like some freshly picked flowers?"

"Kaylee might try to eat them Boss!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick entered his quarters and gave a sigh as he felt the warm feeling in the room. He heard foot steps approach before he looked and spotted a smirking Lisa carrying a four month old Kaylee in her arms. The little girl was really starting to show she took after her mother in looks, but Rick could still see his eyes, cheeks, and nose in her cherub features. He smiled as Kaylee giggled and stretched her arms out towards him and Rick froze as she began to sputter, not just make random noises. "P-p-"

Lisa looked at wonder to her daughter as she struggled in her arms to get to her father. Rick gently took the four month old in his arms and both waited with held breath as she fought hard to say something. After a moment, Kaylee began to pout and stopped. Rick gave a grin to his little one as Lisa just laughed. "Well, she was close this time."

Lisa just shook her head and kissed his cheek. "She's determined to speak."

"I still say she's trying to say plane." Rick grinned at Lisa and the woman rolled her eyes, planting her hands on her hips as she smiled.

"I honestly wouldn't be the least bit surprised. It's still early though."

Rick laughed and Kaylee giggled happily and clapped her little hands. She always loved seeing her parents laugh, even if she didn't understand.

"Oh, we found something out there today." Rick told her, making his way to the couch while Lisa went to the kitchen to retrieve a jar of food for Kaylee.

"Trouble makers?" Lisa asked, grabbing the mixture of rice cereal and breast milk that Jean had recommended for the baby. According to the Doctor, she was advancing fairly quick and both parents had been pleased to hear this. Lisa had laughed when Rick had asked how long he had to wait to take her up for a plane ride.

"Nope. Found a field of flowers outside the reconstruction zones." Rick told the approaching Lisa and he smiled lovingly at her. "I wanted to land and grab some for you but Max pointed out I'd crush them in the cockpit. Or Kaylee might try to eat them as Ben suggested."

Lisa gave him a sweet smile. Her flyboy really could be a charmer at times and so sweet it made her want to just love him like there was no tomorrow. Maybe once Kaylee fell asleep tonight...no, she flushed red as she remembered Rick telling her she could be loud at times, not that he minded. He specifically stated he liked that about her. He spotted the flushed cheeks and gave her that smirk he knew did funny things to her. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" He asked innocently, the smirk still on his face as she started to feel light headed.

She just glared at him and shifted her focus to Kaylee who was staring intently at the bowl in her hands. Lisa made her way over to feed Kaylee while Rick held her. "So, you said you found flowers out there. That's a good sign."

Rick gave her a knowing look that she refused to meet and concentrated on feeding the baby. He could also be a real jerk at times. They were broken from their little game by a rapid fire knocking and Lisa called for whoever it was to come in. A befuddled looking Max entered, staggering in with a numb look. Rick, Lisa, and Kaylee watched as he made his way over and dropped into the chair. Rick raised an eyebrow at his friend as he let out an explosive sigh before Kaylee, her curiosity satisfied, reached her little hand over and tried to grab the bowl and ended up knocking it out of Lisa's hands and onto her mother's sweats and the couch.

"Kaylee Diane Hunter!" Lisa scolded the child as she picked the bowl up off the her legs and sighed, looking at the mess. "Just like you father. So impatient."

The baby looked at her mother and just stared. She recognized her name and was able to understand that when her mother used her full name, she was in trouble. The little lip trembled as she looked to her mother. Lisa merely gave her daughter a deadpanned look. "Don't you start with those crocodile tears little missy. I'll be right back Rick."

Lisa went to the kitchen to grab a warm wash cloth to wipe up the spilled baby food before going to change her pants. Rick looked down to a pouting Kaylee and had to laugh as she glared after her mother. Max was watching with a small smile. "Well, Lisa is right. She is your daughter."

"And that's why it shouldn't surprise me she's impatient!" Lisa called from the bedroom as they heard a few drawers open. The men laughed as the baby ginned up at Rick.

"Don't you go pointing a finger at me Sparky." Rick smiled at the baby. "You made a mess all on your own."

"Just like you do." Lisa remarked, entering the living room again, clad in a pair of black jeans now instead of sweatpants. She would always be grateful for Miriya who helped her exerciser and get rid of her baby weight. While she could be a real taskmaster, Lisa couldn't deny the results from working out with Miriya. Her only gripe, which seemed to amuse Rick to no end, was she now needed to wear a larger cup size which meant she had to buy a whole new set of bras. Rick always gave her a perverted smirk when ever she'd complained about it. She remembered how after giving birth and losing the weight, mostly by this point, that she'd lamented over how her body had changed and how she couldn't get back to the figure she had before. How her hips were now too wide and her butt was too big. He told her point blank that yes she had changed. How she had been beautiful before and that now, she was memorizing to him.

"So Max, what's up?" Rick asked his friend as he bounced Kaylee on his knee gently. "You look like you have something on you mind."

Lisa and Rick both watched as Max's face slowly split into the happiest grin they had ever seen grace his face. "I'm gonna be a Dad!"

"Oh that's wonderful Max!" Lisa gushed as she sat down on the opposite side of Rick and not the still drying side. No use repeating that mistake. Rick had laughed his ass off when he spotted the wet mark on her left butt check the first time she'd done that.

"Welcome to fatherhood buddy!" Rick laughed." Looks like all that extra work you put in really paid off!"

Max grinned and gave a cocky bow of his head that made Lisa roll her eyes and Rick to laugh even harder while Kaylee just looked between the three adults with confusion. "Well what can I say Skipper? I'm just that good."

"Alright, no need to get a big head there Max." Lisa teased. "How far along is she?"

"Month and a half." He replied, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward. "Funny part is, she told me she had a feeling she was a month ago."

"And she still kept locking you in the bedroom?" Rick asked with wide eyes as Max grinned even wider.

"She said she wanted to be absolutely certain." The blue haired man gave a laugh. "Think of all the sleep I missed out on because of her thoroughness!"

"Max, you're too much buddy!" Rick chuckled. "Most men would kill to be in your shoes. Not me though. I already have the most beautiful woman on the planet, heck, the universe in my life and the most adorable little girl in the world."

Max smiled as Lisa gave him a kiss for that one. Kaylee thanked her father for his kind words by swatting at his face as he stopped bouncing his knee, an annoyed look on the child's face. Max took a breath before he looked to Rick with a nervous expression.

"Skipper, Miriya wanted to show you two how much she appreciated the trust you put in her as Kaylee's Godmother and wondered if you guys would be our baby's godparents. I'm all for it as the only other option is Ben...and well...no offense intended to him but you both are parents already and the baby would be near enough to Kaylee's age...and-"

"Max, stop rambling." Lisa giggled. "We'd be honored. Wouldn't we Rick?"

Said man nodded. "Yup. If it's a boy...well, I hope he doesn't take too much after Miriya in the determination department."

Lisa swatted Rick in the back of his head, getting a wince from the man as Max smirked and Kaylee clapped with a giggle. She thought it was funny seeing her father get hit.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"And how is my favorite niece?"

Kaylee began to cry as Roy smiled at her. Said man blinked in confusion before looking at Rick in mock hurt. "Why won't she love me?"

The assembled group laughed as Kaylee reached out to Miriya. Said woman smiled as she gently took the baby into her arms from Roy where she instantly stopped and began giggling at the green haired woman, making a grab for her long hair. Roy pouted as Claudia fought hard not to laugh.

"That's not fair." Roy muttered. "Why does she always cry when she sees me?"

"We think it's your aftershave." Lisa remarked, smirking as she handed Claudia a class of water.

"I say it's just your face." Ben snarked with a smirk. Roy glared at him.

"Watch it Dixon. I have a months worth of morning shifts with your name on it buddy." Roy growled.

"Maybe you could speak quieter when you're around her." Claudia suggested. "You do tend to be a loud mouth and speak at high volume dear."

Roy crossed his arms over his chest, and pouted as everyone just laughed. Rick looked over and to Rico, a man who he was more than willing to call his friend, sitting fairly close to Sammie. Said woman was chatting with Lisa about the up coming wedding. "So you and Commander Hunter are finally getting married?"

"Yes. Things have settled down enough for us to go through with it. We've set the date for august tenth."

"Little under two months from now." Claudia remarked. "Big or small?"

"Private." Rick answered, sipping his pop. "Just family and friends. We're not wanting any vultures reporting on it."

"I still can't believe they've been hounding you." Ben commented, his arm around Sarah as she nodded in agreement. "You two are even more famous than Minmei at this point. No offense intended."

Minmei gave a smile at the man from her spot beside Miriya, both woman dotting on the baby Miriya held. "It's fine. And you're right. They are very annoying. Did you see the article they posted about me? That I was dating my cousin. That is wrong on so many levels."

"But...wait, you kissed him in the movie." Roy commented in confusion.

She gave him a flat stare. "It's called acting. And he was the only man who didn't trun into a gibbering idiot during the filming. We went through..six possible leads before he stepped into the role. I still feel dirty from that."

Rick gave a small wince as she ended up voicing his own thoughts from after he and Lisa saw the movie. Now he really felt bad for his earlier line of thought about them. Lisa saw Rick's guilt flash in his eyes and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she smiled at Sammie. "So is there something going on between you two?"

Rico gave an embarassed smile as Sammie turned red, nodding shyly. Rick grinned at the two as the others looked at them in curiousity. "Yes. Sammie agreed to go out with me. I admit, I'm still learning how to go about this, but she says I am doing fine."

"He's very sweet and protective of me." Sammie smiled at the man next to her. "He's a true gentleman."

"I wondered why Sammie looked to red earlier." Rick snickered. "Little Sammie is all grown up with her own boyfriend."

Sammie stuck her tongue out at Rick. "At least Rico isn't mean to me like you have been."

Rick saw the smirk cross her face and began to sweat. "I-I haven't been mean to you!"

Lisa raised a single eyebrow, a smirk on her face as Rick remembered what Sammie had said a few months ago. Rick was avoiding looking to Lisa. "Really now? Do tell Sammie? What has Rick done?"

The others watched in much amusement as Sammie gave an evil smirk. Even Rico was fighting hard not to laugh.

"He was really mean to me when I asked why he wasn't with you and little Kaylee when Khyron attacked a few months ago." She replied, still smirking at a sweating Rick.

"No I wasn't!"

"Oh?" Claudia spoke in innocently. "You mean you didn't threaten to by pass Sammie and call me for launch clearence?"

Rick turned his head so fast, she feared he'd get whiplash from it. A look of pure fear on his face. Lisa just stared at him with a calm, yet dangerous look in her eyes. "He did, did he?"

"No! That's not how it went!" Rick turned to Roy, his look begging for support. "Help me out here Roy!"

"Oh no buddy!" Roy chuckled. "You got yourself in this mess."

"So Rick." He heard the overly sweet tone in Lisa's voice and slowly turned, seeing Lisa's eyes narrowed dangerously as he gulped. "You got an attitude with Sammie when she reminded you of me and Kaylee. Then tried to go around her to get flight clearance. Is that right?"

"Well yes." He put his hands up to ward off any kind of attack, the others snickering at the sight as Lisa fought hard not to laugh. "But not the way they told it! I was getting lectured on my duty as a father and a husband to be! And I was doing my duty by fighting off a threat to the two most important people in my life. You and Kaylee!"

"I only have one thing to say Rick Hunter." Lisa kept her stern look before she grabbed the front of his shirt as he lowered his guard and pulled her toward her and smiling lovingly at him. "I already knew the story."

The crowd around them cheered as Lisa kissed him, clapping as Lisa pulled back and Rick looked completely dazed, a goofy smile on his face. He shook his head before looking at a laughing Sammie and it clicked. "You waited four months to get me back?"

"Well, it was Captain Hayes' idea actually." The woman giggled. "It was so funny seeing your face when you thought she'd hit you for it."

Rick grumbled before he turned to Rico, ignoring the laughter. "So what's new with you Rico? Everything going okay with the other Zentradi?"

Rick gave a shrugged and sighed. "Mostly. Some are starting to become...restless. The urge to fight is in all Zentradi as it is what we are made for. It's not many, but it's enough to be an issue."

"We heard a bit about that." Max spoke up. "Anyway to avoid any kind of violence?"

"We've assigned some of them to the on going search for Khyron." Rico explained. "It's helped some. Others have gone to work manual labor jobs to help deal with it. I don't know how long that will satisfy them before they go back to the old ways."

"Do you think there is a chance of that?" Lisa asked as she took a yawning Kaylee from Miriya. It was getting close for the little one to go down for a nap.

"It's possible." Rico remarked sadly. "While most of us have embraced the human lifestyle, some are saying the novelty is wearing off. It was new and exciting to them in the beginning, but now...well...I can only hope this works out for the best."

The rest of the assembled group nodded their agreement, the mood taking a turn down as they contemplated what could happen if those Zentradi decided to go back to their war like ways. They only hoped it wouldn't escalate to a war in their streets.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You've failed me."

The figure being addressed glared at the screen. "There was no indication that Gloval and Breetai had planned for any kind of surface attack. All my information pointed at the SDF-1 being the only ground based ship."

Khyron glared at his spy with as much heat as he could,

"You mean to tell me you failed to see four hundred cruisers settled in the mountains fifty miles from you. I can only think of two options for why they were missed. You are blind and stupid as the rest of your race, or you plan to double cross me. Which is it?"

The figure gave an agitated growl as he spoke. "Listen to me well. The information I was able to access with out making myself a target pointed to no other ships. And if I were to leave the SDF-1 to search the whole five hundred mile radius around it that you need, it would lead to a lot of uncomfortable questions. Ones I would not be able to answer and you'd lose your intel source."

Khyron conceded the point with a frown as his spy pinched the bridge of their nose. "Look, I entered into this agreement with the understanding that I would get you what information I could. This is a mutually beneficial agreement for us both. You get the SDF-1 and your revenge on Breetai. I get my planet back out of the hands of humanities so called 'Allies'. Once we have completed our goals, I will personally execute Commander Rick Hunter for war crimes as we both discussed. But I need time to build a case against him. No one will even look at the evidence we have yet. Once Gloval and the rest of removed and discredited, I can go after him."

"No." Khyron shook his head, a dark smirk on his face. "You will extradite him to me. I will enjoy crushing him under my heel."

The figure leaned back and rubbed it's jaw. "Maybe...you know, he is now a father. And he is one of our best pilots..."

"And this means what to me?"

"His weakness is his family." The figure smirked. "We can use that against him."

Khyron paused and took on a thoughtful look, his spy remaining silent. "You have my full attention Mirconian."

The figure smirked darkly.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick took one last look at a sleeping Kaylee, smiling proudly at his daughter. The day had been a long one for the Hunter family, but a peaceful one. No disasters or battles came up. No need for him to take to the skies to fight back a relentless enemy. It was a day that he got to spend with his wife-to-be and their precious daughter laying in her crib, blissful to the world around her as she slept. He felt a pair of arms circle around him and caught the scnet of a familiar perfume.

"She looks so peaceful."

Rick nodded his head. "She does. She looks so much like you."

"But acts like you." Lisa teased as Rick gently ran his hand over their little one's soft dark blonde hair.

"For now." He responded, turning and pulling Lisa close ti his chest. "You both...you are both the best things that have ever happened to me. And no matter what, I will keep you both safe. Even if I have to fight a thousand battles."

Lisa sighed and buried her face in his chest. "You just make sure you come back to us every time. She may look like you, but she's bound to have inherited the Hayes' temperament from me."

Rick let out a soft chuckle.

"You know, I think your Dad would have killed me for us having a baby out of wed lock."

"He'd be a hypocrite." Lisa replied, both parents looking to their daughter. "After all, I was born under similar circumstances."

Rick smirked at hearing that before he felt Lisa yawn. "Come on Bright Eyes. It's time for us to get some rest. And I do mean rest tonight."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai smiled down at the humans in front of him as Exedore greeted the two he had requested for the meeting. "Greetings Captain Hayes. Commander Hunter. Is this your offspring?"

Henry turned away with a smile as Rick just looked blankly at Exedore and Lisa smiled at the question. Rick blinked a few times before he responded. "Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah this is our daughter."

"She shares a remarkable similarity to Captain Hayes." Breetai remarked, his deep baritone voice rumbling. Kaylee looked up at him in awe, her little eyes wide but she hadn't cried. "You must be proud of her."

Rick rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "Yup! Best daughter in the universe!"

"I must admit, when you told us you were born as Micronians, I was skeptical of such a thing." Exedore remarked as Kaylee looked at him with her wide eyes. "To see the proof...it is astounding."

"Indeed it is my friend." Breetai agreed. "Does she have a name?"

"We named her Kaylee Diane Hunter." Lisa answered. "Rick named her Kaylee after one of his favorite TV characters, and because I wouldn't let him name her directly after me. I admit I liked the name."

"And the middle one?" Exedore asked, extending a finger to the child, which she grabbed and smiled. The man smiled in return. "She has a good grip."

Rick laughed. "She sure does!"

"Diane was my mother's name. She always said she wanted a granddaughter. And I wanted to honor her."

"It is a fine name." Breetai commented, lowering to his knees to see the child better. Kaylee looked at him and giggled, holding out her little arms to be held by the big man. "Though she seems to not fully comprehend our size difference."

"No, she's an adrenaline junkie like her father." Lisa laughed as Breetai smiled at the small bundle. "She loves with Rick holds her in the air and makes plane noises."

"Adrenaline junkie?" Exedore repeated in confusion. "That is an interesting phrase as I was under the impression a 'Junkie' was not some one you would want around a child."

"While true in most cases, it's more of a turn of phrase." Lisa explained with a grin. "It just means Rick loves to dive into the action."

"Ah. I believe I understand." Exedore rubbed his chin. "Perhaps you can now explain that display over there. It looks to be the one that was on board you ship during out first meeting. Colonel Maistroff was extremely hesitant to explain it."

They followed his extended finger and Rick looked back at him in confusion while Lisa had to stifle her giggles. Henry just pulled his cover down to hide his uncomfortable look. "You mean the billboard over there? The one with the woman on it?"

"Yes." Exedore confirmed while Breetai gave it a curious gaze himself. "I thought it too be some kind of military secret."

Rick felt his own cheeks warm as he rubbed the back of his head, uncomfortable about explaining it. "Well, it's...a lingerie advertisement. It's...well it's something woman wear to...well...uh...Lisa you can answer this one better than me."

"But Rick, don't you remember the time I found you in one?" She remarked innocently. "And you are doing such a great job at explaining it."

She laughed as Rick opened and closed his mouth several times before she took pitty on him and looked to Exedore. "It's not a military secret. Victoria Secret sells more...risque under garments such for woman than we'd find in a regular story. Woman shop there to buy more provocative things like panties and bras to entice our men. It's fun for us to make things more interesting in our love lives."

"Ah...I understand." Exedore nodded his head. "So it is part of your matting practice then."

"Yes."

Henry gave a cough and decided to end that particular conversation. "As much as this has been an...informative discussion, I believe we have much to discuss."

Breetai nodded and rose to his full height. "Indeed Admiral. We bare news on the possible location of Khyron."

All humor left the assembled officers as they looked to him, Henry's gaze hardening. "And where is that?"

"We believe he is operating out of a Zentradi Satellite factory in a neighboring star system." Exedore spoke. "We wish to discuss the possibility of a joint military operation to deal with the factory."

"How did it get there?" Rick asked.

"We believe Khyron used his fleet to encompass it in a fold sphere much as Dolza did for the Home Base. Only a Fleet Commander can unlock the fold system built into it." The smaller man explained. "If he has indeed taken it, he can use the cloning system on board to replenish his numbers and produce more vessels at a higher rate than we can."

"So...we are going to destroy it." Henry smirked. "A fine way to say, as the Americans would, 'up yours' to Khyron."

"While a colorful metaphor, we are not aiming to destroy it." Exedore corrected.

"Then what are we going to do?" Rick asked. "Stop by and welcome them to the neighborhood?"

Lisa frowned at Rick as Kaylee kept her eyes locked on the imposing form of Breetai. The tall man grinned down at his friends. "We are going to take it. The resources on the factory are sorely needed to continue the extensive repairs we need. Not to mention the ability to strengthen our fleets and raise out numbers. As you know, we Zentradi are ignorant of any other form of reproduction outside of cloning, and while the news of Miriya is very much welcomed, many do not wish to follow her example as of yet. For my people to survive, we need that factory."

"Then we shall take it."

Both RDF officers turned to Rick as he looked Breetai in the eye, his jaw set and a fierce determination on his face. "You've been there for us every step of the way Commander. You stuck your neck out for us when you could have just followed Dolza's orders. Instead, you stood beside us to face him. You could have left after he was beaten. You stayed and helped us to fix our world. You've sent men to their death in combat to defend out world while we are trying desperately to get back on our feet. You have done much for us already. And now, now you need our help. And you'll have it. We owe you more than we can ever thank you for."

"Commander Hunter is right." Gloval agreed. "You have become a friend to the people of Earth, helping with out a thought of compensation because it was the right thing to do. We will aide you in this Commander, out of friendship, nothing more."

Breetai looked to them and gave a bow of his head. "I am humbled my friends. Thank you."

"When do we leave?" Lisa asked, curious.

" _You_ are going no where." Rick stated, holding up a hand to ward off the out burst he knew was coming as Lisa looked sharply at him, her eyes narrowed. "Unless we take Kaylee with us, which I won't agree with just yet, we'd need to leave her with someone we can both trust. And if this is going to be a full on battle, it wouldn't be safe for her. I'm needed as CAG so I can't stay behind. They'll need me."

Lisa wanted nothing more than counter his argument but the giggling bundle in her arms reminded her, unnecessarily that Rick was one hundred percent correct. She sighed and nodded. "You have a point."

"Fear not Captain." Exedore spoke. "The attack will not happen just yet. In fact, it will take at least one year before we are fully ready."

"Why a year?" Rick asked, confused. Why would they wait to hit such a juicy target? Why wait to go on the offensive for the first time against Khyron instead of merely reacting to his attacks?

"By that time, your fleet should be string enough to defend your world and to also join our fleet in combat." Breetai explained. "And Khyron would expect an attack soon after our scout ships were encounted by his forces. He may be crazed, but he is no fool. He won't risk an attack with his depleted numbers at the moment. Our estimates put that just over one year from now. He won't attack."

Breetai spoke confidently as the humans shared a look.

"I hope you are correct Commander." Henry commented.

* * *

 **A/N: So there you have it guys. I don't really have any parenting experience (Being 27, almost 28 and single for the last...four years? Yeah, four). And this one took longer to write as I found out a Brother in Arms was lost to suicide a few days ago. Knew the man since MOS school when I was a boot ass Private First Class, to my first duty station at MCAS Miramar, to deployment in Afghanistan. He was the one who gave me my plaque at my going away party. He was a damn good Marine and a great leader of men. So I apologize if this chapter didn't fully meet with my normal skill you guys are used too. Been a long few days for me.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Here you guys go. The wedding chapter. I know some have voiced concerns the story is going to fast, but trust me, it's really not! Compared to most tales out there, this one is more sedate in it's pace. Seriously, I've seen Rick confess undying love to lisa, knock her up, and get married in as little as two chapters outside of a oneshot folder. So holding off the sex part until like chapter fifteen, a baby showing up due to both Lisa and Rick getting caught up in the moment (Which can and has happened in real life!) by chapter 19 and married by chapter 21 is actually pretty realistic. Can anyone out there say they haven't forgotten to use protection? I know I have. She didn't get pregnant but still. My attempt is to show that despite all their strength and attributes we love in these characters, they are still flawed human beings. I'm not into writing super!Rick and super!Lisa stories. I'll read um yeah, but the whole intent behind this story is to show the human elements of the characters. And to me, that's what writing is about. Especially on this site. We get to play with the universes we love and add our own twist to the mix. This isn't directed at any of you who are following the story and have been with the journey since the first post. It;s about the persons who have the gull to send a PM telling me my story sucks because it's unrealistic with the character development, or how the pace is too fast and I've written a failed fan fiction. To be honest, I'm proud of this story as it is by far the largest project I have ever worked on. I've reread it from the first chapter and feel the pace is consistent and fluid. That the development of the tale has been natural. Maybe some feel otherwise. But I'm sticking to this one until it's over. Which reminds me. We have about...five? Yeah maybe five chapters left of our tale. Already considering doing a sequel to fill the gap between Sentinels and The Shadow Chronicles. Drop a review and let me know how you liked it.**

* * *

Chapter 21 The Calm

Rick stared at the headlines in the newspaper with a twitching eyebrow. In big bold letters stood the phrase 'Wedding of the Century!' and Rick had to palm his face in annoyance before he let out a sigh and decided to read what the vultures had published in the New Macross Times.

 _"As many of you are well aware, our very own Miss Macross, one Captain Lisa Hayes will soon be changing her name to Mrs. Lisa Hunter on August Tenth. Many know the story and deeds done by the soon to be Mrs. Hunter including her astounding victory over Miss Jan Morris in the first Beauty Pageant held in space aboard the now legendary SDF-1 under the command of now Admiral Henry Gloval. While the journey had been fraught with danger to all of us, with many times our morale dropping, Captain Hayes remained steadfast in her duty to her ship, crew, and the many civilians caught up in the whirlwind adventure straight out of a science fiction story. During the year long voyage from Pluto's orbit, Captain Hayes found the love of her life in the form of a true hero, the newly promoted Captain Richard Hunter, current commanding officer for the SDF-1's air wing. Captain Hunter is a highly decorated War Hero and we have even learned he comes from a long line of fine military pilots dating back to World War Two when his Grandfather Earl 'Maddog' Hunter joined the Untied States Marine Corps during the Island hopping campaign waged by the US._

 _Captain Hayes was unavailable to comment on her upcoming wedding, however a source close to the couple has informed us they are both happy and looking forward to taking the next big step! The heroic duo as you also know have been seen in public with little Kaylee Hunter, the couple's now six month old daughter who looks to be the perfect duplicate to Captain Hayes while taking care of their wedding plans. No doubt the young family is both anxious and thrilled to continue their lives together. We here at New Macross Times wish to offer our most sincere congratulations to both Captain Hayes and Captain Hunter. May the wind always be at your back!_

 _For A Legacy: Rick Hunter Turn to page 4_

 _For Lisa Hayes: Miss Macross Turn to page 2_

 _For Wedding Details Turn to Page 8"_

Rick had to admit, it actually wasn't a bad article as he folded the paper. He really could avoid reading over his own family history. Pop had brought Rick up with stories of his Grandpa Hunter and how he'd earned several medals for valor including taking his F-4F Hellcat in low to provide close air support for the Marine Amphibious Force at Guadalcanal, where he'd been shot down. Only to fight his way back through enemy lines armed only with the Colt .45 Rick had locked in his and Lisa's quarters where Kaylee would never get to it. Earl Hunter had earned his nickname as he'd taken on a squad of Japanese soldiers with nothing but a knife and a shovel he'd managed to get his hands on. The old Jarhead had never said where he got the shovel from. All Rick knew was that the Kbar he had used still was stained to this day.

Rick gave a slight shake of his head before turning his eyes back to his paperwork when he heard a sharp rap on his door. Not even looking up from his squadron reports and flight logs, Rick called for the person to enter. He heard his door open and close with a click before the muffled foot steeps approached. A not well liked voice spoke. "Captain Hunter."

"Colonel Edwards." Rick greeted neutrally and motioned for the seat in front of his desk. "Thanks for coming."

Edwards gave a sharp nod, keeping a neutral look on his face as he sat in the offered chair. "You said you had somethings to discuss with me?"

Rick leaned back, his eyes studying the man before him. The disfigurement he had suffered from Alaska Base was covered with a prosthetic and Rick could see resentment kept well in check in Edwards eye.

"Look, let's get things straight before we talk about why I called for your help." Rick started, not beating around the bush. "I know you really don't like me. To be honest, I really don't care what you think of me or why you hate me. But we are both on the same side. I respect your talents. You're one of the best we have in the Intelligence Office. And you're a damn fine Officer so I have no issue with you in a professional sense. But I would like to know where your hostility towards me and Lisa comes from."

"So you want to clear the air before we get to work then?" Edwards asked with a smirk as Rick gave a nod. "I have nothing against Captain Hayes asides from her opinion that we need the help from the Zeds. I won't deny they have helped us out quite a bit. I'd be a fool not to see it. But I still blame them for the death of Rachael. I blame you as well Captain Hunter. And likewise, I have no qualms with your abilities or you as an officer. My anger comes from the simple fact that your tunnel vision at Alaska Base cosigned the woman I loved to death. If you'd have spent just a minute longer to check for other survivors, she might have lived."

Rick nodded his head slowly. That he could understand. "I see. Maybe you're right Colonel. Maybe it could have made a difference. And yes, I did focus only on Lisa and for that, I'm sorry. But can you say you'd have done differently in my place? Would you have risked the woman you loved just on the off chance others survived in a wrecked and burning control room?"

"I can't." Edwards admitted after a moment of thought. "I'd have probably done exactly that. And logically, what you said is true. But just the same, I blame you for it. And I wonder if you'll end up killing me someday for it."

"Fair enough." Rick commented before leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "I'll tell you right now Edwards. You don't need to watch your back or sleep with your eyes open at night. If you ever push me to the point, you'll be awake, you'll be armed, and I will face you like a man. If you blame me, fine. But this open hostility between us, it ends now. Deal?"

"Deal."

Rick nodded and grabbed a folder from the side of his desk and passed it to Edwards. The man accepted it and opened the file, his eyes taking in the details presented. Rick remained silent for near fifteen minutes as the man before him went over the thirty page brief in it. He closed the file with a sharp snap and passed it back to Rick with a grim expression on his face. "Interesting target. One that gives Khyron an edge over us."

"Exactly."

Edwards hummed as he rubbed his chin. "From what you just showed me, it won't be easy to take. More than likely, it'll probably be fully crewed, especially if he's paranoid we're on our way to say hello."

"That's my thoughts as well." Rick admitted. "That's why we're holding off on hitting it for the time being."

"Time frame?"

"Ten months, give or take a week."

"Hmmm...he should relax his guard by that time." Edwards muttered, his mind going over everything. "The Joint fleet plan is a rather well put together one. Especially if Breetai and his ships do the heavy lifting."

"They'll be helping with the boarding action in a limited way, but as Breetai said, our Tomahawks and Spartans are better equipped to deal with the security."

"Missiles are always a game changer." Edwards chuckled. "So are flamerthrowers. Veritechs?"

"Skull and Rapier will come in through the hangers. The other six will secure the local air space."

"Standard attack. Too obvious."

"That's where I need your help." Rick sighed and rubbed his temples. "I need another perspective on this. Someone who won't sugar coat their disapproval. You're the only one I can trust on that."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ten months."

Khyron looked at his spy in disbelief. "You mean to tell me they plan to hold off for ten months before launching an offensive against this station? You've been wrong before."

The figure leveled a flat look at Khyron that irritated the Zentradi to no end. They were a smug little bug, that was for sure.

"Hunter is hashing out a plan for an attack with several others and has begun training all of the needed pilots for the mission. I suggest we move on to the contingency plan we talked about yesterday. He is rapidly becoming more of a problem than either of us expected. In fact, he is the one who promised Breetai that Earth would commit her forces to this plan."

"I would have so loved to kill him myself." Khyron mused before he gave a shrug. "Well, one can dream I suppose. When can you move on the targets?"

"It won't be until after the wedding." His spy replied. "After that...well, Captain Hayes does like to take trips to monument when she's not locked away on the SDF-2 going over reports."

"And the spawn?"

"If we time this right, the child will be with the mother unless they change the flight rotation. If that's the case, it will delay us. We need both to succeed."

Khyron rubbed his chin in thought. As much as he hated to agree with the Micronian, they had a valid point. "There can be no foul ups on this. We grab both and use them to destroy the Red Devil. If we are right, he'll end himself before he can cause any more trouble to our plans."

"If it goes right, yes. We have a saying here on Earth. No plan survives first contact with the enemy."

"If by some chance it does not go exactly as planned, then I will kill him myself." Khyron smirked darkly. "His desire for revenge may over ride his grief."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick entered the office and frowned as he spotted Lisa smiling brightly at him.

"So? What do you think?" She asked pleasantly as Miriya smirked from her spot on the couch, her pregnancy starting to show as she neared the four month mark. Which meant she was now on limited duty and was a temporary aide to Lisa. Not that Miriya minded.

"I think it's bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress before the actual wedding." Rick remarked with a grin.

"Don't be silly Rick." Lisa giggled. "I'm not in it so that doesn't count. I'm standing behind it."

To prove her point that Rick already knew, she stepped from behind the hanging dress and placed her hands on her hips, giving him an expectant look. "You going to answer my question?"

Rick chuckled and shook his head. "Lisa, you'd look amazing wearing a burlap sack."

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes before she smirked, "I think you're forgetting something Captain."

"Oh of course ma'am." Rick grinned, saluting her. "Sorry Captain, won't happen again!"

"A pending wedding is no excuse for failing to follow proper military protocols Captain." Lisa teased with a mock stern tone. "I'll have you're skin for this."

"Go ahead." Rick decided to play along with her, a resigned yet loving tone in his voice as he stepped towards her. "Take my bars, throw me in the brig."

He ran his hand over her cheek before he gave her a cocky smirk. "Just please wait until _after_ the honeymoon."

Lisa gave a laugh before kissing him. Rick smiled at her as she gave him a mischievous look. "Well...I suppose. It depends on how well you preform that night."

"I never disappoint." He laughed before he squatted down as Kaylee clapped at him from near Miriya, the Zentradi woman smirking as she watched. "You been a good girl for mommy and your Aunt Miriya?"

Kaylee seemed to stare at him before she lowered herself awkwardly onto her belly and stared to drag herself to her father, not very well, but both parents gave stunned looks and froze as the determined baby made her way shakily to her father, pacifier clenched tightly in her mouth. Miriya had also been surprised but had her own phone out the moment the baby started her crawl attempt, recording the event for Rick and Lisa. Rick snapped out of his surprise and scooped Kaylee up gently, holding her above his head as the baby giggled, her little arms held outward as Rick just laughed. Lisa had covered her mouth with a hand and was fighting back proud tears that their daughter was moving along well in her development. "That's Daddy's girl!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Max dropped down next to Rick as the man stared at the stage with a mixture of awe and embarrassment as Roy was singing along to Man In Motion, horribly. Both men just watched as a slightly...okay fairly drunk Roy sang along with a grin on his face. "Who knew Roy liked karaoke."

"Boy still can't carry a tune to save his life." Pop laughed, a nostalgic look on his face. "His father, Dan, was the exact same!"

"It sounds like some one tossed a wrench into the intake of a Veritech." Vince muttered, watching. "Has anyone ever told him?"

"We tried." Rick remarked with a wince. "He thinks he has a singing voice. I told him he sounded like a drowning cat. The intake one is a good analogy though."

Max blinked as he caught the statement before giving Vince a suspicious look. "Just how do you know what a wrench tossed into a Veritech Intake sounds like?"

Vince just shrugged with a grin, looking sheepish. Rick knew he shouldn't ask but found himself curious. "Okay Vince. You have to explain that one."

The man chuckled in embarrassment before he answered.

"During training, when we got our first look at a Veritech...I was a bit careless and left an adjustable in the intake clearance." He explained. "When those engines fired up, the wrench went in and shredded the fan blades. I have to admit, the massive gout of flames that shot out of the engine was pretty cool. Spent a week rebuilding the engine I unintentionally destroyed."

"So..." Ben looked at him in unease. "Has that happened since?"

"No." Vince laughed. "You're in no danger sir. Promise."

Max leaned into Rick. "Just between us, I'm going to start triple checking my intakes."

Rick laughed and the others joined in, even Vince. Ben did a double take and looked queasy. "Is he having a seizure?"

Rick's face paled as he turned to see what his brother was doing. Pop quickly turned away shaking with silent laughter as the others just watched in horror, unable to turn away from the spectacle before them.

"He's trying to dance."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So where is Rick having his bachelor party?"

Lisa gave Claudia a knowing look. "You're husband dragged the men to a karaoke bar downtown."

Claudia covered her eyes and shuddered. "Oh no."

Miriya, Minmei, and the others gave Claudia a confused look, Minmei the first to speak. "Why is that a bad thing?"

Claudia gave a frustrated sigh and looked directly at Minmei.

"Because Roy can't sing. Period." She explained. "I've heard him in the shower. He sounds just like that wrench incident that involved Vince and a small part of carelessness."

"Oh wow." Lisa winced. "I remember hearing that. I thought a fighter had exploded or something."

Claudia nodded as Jean just smirked. "Well, it was the only time he made that mistake."

"Amen to that sister." Claudia saluted. "But Roy and singing don't go together."

"How? He can play guitar really well." Minmei commented.

Miriya nodded her own agreement. "We've all heard his skill."

"Look, I love my husband dearly. There are many things about him that he can do wonderfully. But singing isn't one of them." Claudia responded in a deadpanned tone as the others laughed.

"So, Lisa. You looking forward to tomorrow?" Jean asked with a smirk.

Said woman just gave a happy nod much to the amusement of the others. Claudia looked at her a smirk. "I'm just glad you guys are _finally_ settling down. I was beginning to think you'd wait until just before the SDF-2 launched!"

The girls laugh as Lisa stuck her tongue out at Claudia. The woman adjusted her hold on Kaylee as the baby giggled along with the others. "How is the construction going?"

"It's coming along nicely." Lisa answered Minmei's question. "The timeline has been adjusted and it looks like it'll be finished in a little over nineteen months."

"Has the Admiral made the mission official yet?"

Lisa gave a so so gesture with her hand. "Not per say. He's made it clear he intends to send the SDF-2 out to find these RoboTech Masters' Homeworld. Try to make a peaceful first contact with them instead. But we are going to arm it the best we can in case things go south."

"A wise precaution." Miriya commented, her eyes settling on Lisa's with a serious tint to them. "Not much is remembered about them, but what is shows they are a very powerful enemy to have. If we can strike an alliance with them, further blood shed can be avoided."

"That's the hope." Lisa really did hope it went smooth, but something told her it would be the hardest mission she had ever undertaken.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick took a calming breath as the crowd took their places. Beside him stood Roy, Max, and Ben. Pop was smiling proudly at him from his seat in the front row and Rick grinned right back at him. Roy smirked as his brother calmed himself. "Nervous?"

"Yeah." Rick admitted. "Not every day you get married Big Brother."

"I'm just glad you two are finally doing it." Roy commented.

"Couldn't agree more sir." Ben commented with his own grin. "But you know how the Boss is."

Roy laughed with a nod. "Yup. He needs to be hit over the head with a bat marked with what you want him to know."

Rick scowled at them. "I'm not that bad."

"Sure Rick." Roy rolled his eyes. "Just keep telling yourself that. If Kaylee inherited that trait, you probably won't have to worry abut her dating."

"No. She's going to be too smart to miss those kind of signs.." Max chuckled.

Rick narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Are you saying I'm stupid?"

Max just grinned and Rick let out a growl of annoyance as the men beside him laughed. They quieted down as the ladies across from them just rolled their eyes. Sarah and Miriya were tempted to join in the levity but some one had to look professional up here. As they watched, Claudia made her way down the aisle, her dark green bridesmaid dress looked good on her. But what really made Rick smile was seeing little Kaylee in Claudia's arms. Both Rick and Lisa wanted to include her in the wedding and decided she'd be the ring bearer. He turned his gaze from his curious daughter and turned his attention back to the doors behind the assembled crowd and his breath caught in his chest as he saw Lisa walking forward on the arm of Admiral Gloval. The man was resplendent in his full Military dress and looking quite dashing as he kept a calm face and walked beside Lisa. Lisa herself was a radiant beauty. Her dress was tasteful but fit her perfectly. She was smiling brilliantly as she tried to keep those joyous tears from falling. Her whole world was standing right at the alter, looking like he had forgotten to breath as she watched him take a deep breath, his eyes never wavering from her's. Sure, he'd seen the dress a few days ago, but hanging in front of Lisa didn't do it justice! All too soon but yet maddeningly slow for Rick, Lisa and Gloval arrived at the base of the small platform as the minister, an elderly dark skinned gentleman with a pleasant smile spoke. "And who gives this woman away?"

Pop rose to his feet and looked to the minister as Henry spoke, the agreement being both would as good friends of Lisa's father. "On behalf of Admiral Donald Hayes, I, Henry j Gloval and Mitchell Hunter do."

Lisa smiled warmly at the pair, seeing Pop give a smiling nod as he took his seat. The minster nodded his acceptance and Henry looked to Rick as the young man extended his hand to Lisa. She gave one more teary smile to the Admiral, and he gave a proud one in return as Lisa took Rick's hand and took her place across from her soon to be husband. The minister looked to the two and spoke with a baritone voice.

"Welcome all as we stand witness to the love and devotion of the two people who stand before us. We are gathered together to celebrate the very special love between Lisa Hayes and Rick Hunter, by joining them in marriage.

"All of us need and desire to love and be loved in return. And the the highest form of love between two people is within a monogamous, committed relationship."

The minster smiled at the pair as they seemed to lose each other in their loving gaze. The ground listened with rapt attention, smiles and tears around the room. Pop wiped his eyes as he watched, knowing how much his own beloved Wife would have loved to been present. His smile widened as he felt a familiar gentle touch to his cheek and closed his eyes briefly, sending his love to his departed wife. Henry watched with much pride on his face as a single tear escaped his eyes. _'Donald. I pray you are looking down with a smile as your beautiful daughter becomes a wife.'_ The minister continued. "Lisa and Rick, your marriage today is the public and legal joining of your souls that have already been united as one in your hearts. Marriage will allow you a new environment to share your lives together. Standing together to face life and the world, hand in hand."

"Marriage is going to expand you as individuals, define you as a couple, and deepen your love for one another. To be successful, you will need strength, courage, patience, and a really good sense of humor." The minister smirked as Rick grinned at Lisa, said woman letting out a watery chuckle as the rest of the crowd gave a laugh. When dealing with Rick, Lisa had needed to show all those traits already! She gave a knowing look to Rick as he chuckled sheepishly, the Minister waiting for it to quiet down before he continued. "So let your marriage be a time of waking each morning and falling in love with each other all over again."

The minister paused as Little Kaylee began to whine and reached for her parents. Lisa gave a musical laughed as the crowd chuckled when Rick quickly moved and took the little one into his arms with a grin and Lisa took his free hand in both of her's. "Well...that answers my upcoming question regarding the rings."

Roy, smirking the whole time, gently pulled the rings from Kaylee's pocket as the baby stared at him. He felt happy that she didn't scream bloody murder at the sight of him. He'd changed aftershave to aqua velva and began to speak more gently around her. Didn't always work to prevent a hissy fit, but it was working now. The minister waited until Roy had handed one to Rick and one to Lisa. Due to how Rick was holding Kaylee, only his left hand was free which suited him just fine. "Before they exchange the rings, both of the two young people before me have elected to say their own vows. Lisa?"

The woman took a steadying breath and smiled, tears running down her cheeks. "Rick...you've been the light of my life since Mars. We didn't exactly start off on a very friendly basis, but after I got to know you, I learned you were kind, funny, and a pure soul. We have our differences and have fought with each other. But I grew to love you. You've always been there when I needed you. And I promise, from this day forth, I will always be there for you. To love you and to support you. But don't push your luck with reckless stunts. That will still get you yelled at."

The crowd laughed as Lisa wiped her eyes, Henry letting out a humorous snort at Lisa's words. The Minister chuckled as he looked to Rick. There was silence as Rick just stared at Lisa, grinning like a fool. She cocked a single eyebrow as the Minister let out a short cough, snapping Rick from his daze. "Rick? Your vows?"

"I forgot what I was going to say." He admitted sheepishly as the crowd roared with laughter, Lisa's rolling her own eyes as she tried so hard not to laugh. It didn't help that Kaylee began clapping and giggling herself. Rick took a deep breath as Roy face palmed. Ben and Max just grinned. In the crowd, Pop was shaking with laughter, his hand clamped over his mouth. Henry just smirked, having expected this.

"Jacket pocket Captain." He called out, laughter in his voice as Rick nodded and reached into his pocket. He looked at the note card before he tore it in half and decided to wing it. It had gotten him his bride to be after all! Lisa watched as Rick stuffed the two pieces in his pocket, his smile so wide it looked like it would split his face in half.

"I'm not good with sticking to a plan. We all know I tend to roll with the punches." He chuckled. "But what I'm about to say is from my heart. Lisa, when I first met you, you came off as harsh and cold. It took a long time before I was even able to relax around you with out fearing you'd tare my head off. But when I saw the real you, I started that big fall that brought us to this point. Everything about you screamed at me that you were the one. And in my heart and my head, I know this too be true. We've come along way since that first day. We've already been blessed with a beautiful baby girl. That only strengthens the love I feel for you. I will always and forever love and support you. I'll try to avoid making you go gray early."

The crowd lost it as Lisa just rolled her eyes in response, but still smiling as Kaylee began rubbing her eyes. This got an awe from the crowd before the baby glared at them. Rick laughed at the look on her face as the Minister nodded his head in approval and spoke to the still amused crowd. "Throughout human tradition, when you make a pledge, it had been deemed good to have a token to remind you of that pledge. For this purpose, you have chosen rings. They are appropriate to the task because they are circles that are never ending, like the promises you have made each other today. These rings are made of precious metals; purified by the heat of many fires. Please take these rings and honor each other in their giving to affirm the promise of your vows."

Lisa extended her empty left ring finger and Rick gently slid her wedding band into place before extending his own left hand. Lisa, with a shaky hand, slid Rick's into place. "With the exchange of the rings and your promised vows, I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride Rick."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The reception was in full swing as Rick and Lisa finished their first dance as Husband and wife, neither able to stop smiling as Minmei ended the song with a final note. The crowd cheered and clapped loudly as the couple made their way off the floor, Henry smiling proudly from his place next to Mitch. He watched in curiosity as Lisa made her way to him, Rick following with a knowing smile. Both men watched as the new bride stopped before Henry and held out her hand. The crowd was watching in silence as Rick placed a hand on his father's shoulder, Mitch having a sudden realization of what was going to happen and grinned at his friend.

"Admiral." Lisa smiled brilliantly at him. "I believe it's time for the father/daughter dance."

Henry was speechless as he looked up at Lisa, his heart swelling with emotion before he smiled warmly, his eyes shining with joy. The Admiral took her hand and rose to his feet. "It'd would be my pleasure Lisa."

Rick smiled as he watched the pair as the song 'I loved her first' began to play. Pop watched with an approving eye as they two made their way gracefully across the floor. "That was a good way to show Henry how much he means to her. From what I can tell, she's looked up to him as a father. I know Donald would have approved."

"It was actually my idea."

Mitch looked to his son in surprise as the young man smiled at his bride. "Really? That was very thoughtful of you son."

"It didn't require thought on my part Dad." Rick corrected him. "Admiral Gloval has been the closest thing to a father any of us had while we were fighting to get back home. When Admiral Hayes passed, he was the only remaining father she had left. It made sense for her to show him that."

Mitch looked to his son proudly as Exedore and a micronized Breetai watched with curious eyes. They had been invited mostly because if it wasn't for their devotion to catch the SDF-1 or their arrival, Rick and Lisa would probably have never gotten this far. Oh sure they'd probably have met through Roy and Claudia, but to fall in love and marry? Probably not. Rick was too immature and spastic at that time and Lisa was too serious. She probably would never have moved on from Karl. Rick smirked at the irony as Breetai asked Exedore a question about what he was seeing, his face free of the prosthetic he had worn for so many years prior to his micronization. Rick found himself thanking them both profusely. The song ended and the crowd gave a round of applause as Henry lead Lisa back off the dance floor and the two newlyweds gave a thankful nod as Mitch rose to his feet and smiled warmly at the assembled crowd. "Let me start by saying thank you to all of you here today. I can't tell you how proud I am of these two. For those who don't know or can't tell, the runt here is my boy. And I know I can safely say that Donnie Hayes himself would have been just as happy and proud as me."

Mitch turned to Lisa and gave a small smile. "He actually left me a letter he wrote when you were maybe six months old or so and asked that if the worst came to happen and he couldn't be here, to read this letter at your wedding."

Lisa covered her mouth as her eyes went wide, Rick giving her hand a gentle squeeze as Mitch pulled an old and wore piece of paper from his breast pocket of his suit. He opened the paper and cleared his throat before speaking.

"'My dear little girl. I'm writing this letter to you as you lay asleep in the bassinet next to my desk. It's another long day of paperwork and such which has become almost routine for me. I write this letter today, along with others, for any possible milestones in your life if I'm no longer with you or your mother. I suppose it's expected of a young father like me to do this. I've got others written for your first date, your sixteenth birthday, eighteenth, and twenty first. You're mother swears I'm being over cauitious but I know that life in the Navy isn't a guarantee. You'll probably agree that I'm always prepared if I was around long enough for you to learn that. This one, is one for the most important day of your life. Your wedding day. I hope that the man you are marrying understands just how much of a precious gift you are. And I hope you haven't followed in my footsteps and had a baby before marriage. To be honest, it would be hypocritical of me to even try to scold you if you have.

"'You see, your mother and I are not yet married. Not because I don't love her, but because I want to give her the wedding she deserves. I truly hope you have had the one you do. If I'm not there, I want you to know that I have been looking down over you and watching as you grew from when I left. I know you'll be the most beautiful bride in the world, just don't tell your mother I said that. I wish you many happy years of marriage for your chosen. I hope your chosen is a loyal and devoted man. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to walk you down the aisle or to give you away, but know I was right beside you the whole way. I hope this letter never has to see the light of day after I seal it, but if it does, remember these words: Love is a truly wonderful thing. It can out last mountains and out run death. It will lift you to places you never thought possible.

"'I wish you the best my daughter. Signed Your ever loving father, Donald Hayes.'"

Lisa leaned onto Rick, crying silently as Mitch folded the letter and gave a sigh. "Before we left Earth, I told Ol'Donnie I'd see him sitting next to me on this day. And you know what? I was right. I know he was there and watching with pride. I shared this letter with you as he requested because he wanted you to know he was still here."

Lisa nodded and gave a sad smile, wiping her eyes as Pop placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "Both of you have a bright future ahead of you and many years to spend as husband and wife. Make sure you both make the best of this."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy grinned as he looked out at the crowd, most having finished their meal. "What a day huh folks?"

The crowd chuckled as Roy looked around before he continued.

"You know, when these two first met, I didn't know it it would get this far." Roy smirked at Rick as he spoke. "I always figured Lisa would have better tastes in men."

The crowd laughed as Rick glared at Roy, Lisa turning her head to hide her smile. "Gee thanks Roy."

"Hey, you made me Best man, now you deal with the consequences." His Big Brother just grinned evilly. "You see, these two didn't step off on the right foot. Or any foot for that matter. The first thing young Rick here did when he saw Lisa was to call her an Old Sourpuss. Such a smooth talker ladies and gentlemen!"

Ben and Max were laughing as the rest of the crowd let out uproarious laughter as Rick just glared at his brother, his face flushed as memory of that incident came to the forefront of his mind. Henry just shook his head while the Trio bursts into giggles as Roy continued. "I admit, when they finally started to act like adults towards each other, I thought maybe it would work out with them. Lisa balanced out Rick so well, and Rick was the spark of life she needed desperately. Which ended up with the little girl currently held in Rick's arms. Little too quick on the draw by the way Rick. It's supposed to be marriage then baby."

Rick just shook his head in amusement as Lisa kissed his cheek. Kaylee was slapping the table with her little hands, making a few chuckle at her antics.

"Seeing you both here today, it makes me proud to know my fears were incorrect. You've both grown as people and as a couple. Lisa, I am happy to welcome you into the family as my sister."

She smiled at Roy and gave a nod of thanks as the crowd clapped. Roy passed the mic off to Claudia who smiled sweetly at the pair before her.

"I admit, I too had some reservations about these two. I had known both for roughly the same amount of time since I started dating the big lug over there not long after reporting for training. Lisa, you are my best friend. And I am honored to be standing here as your Maid of Honor. Rick, you have no idea how grateful I am that you came into Lisa's life. Every since you two got together, she's come a full one hundred and eighty from how she used to be. You gave her life meaning and pulled her from the depths of despair. Thank you, little Brother. Thank you for loving her. And I look forward to watching you both continue on together."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick sighed and dropped onto the bed as Lisa was busy getting herself ready for bed. It had been a long and eventful day. He smiled warmly as Lisa walked out of the bathroom with her wedding dress in it's protective garment bag. She spotted his smile and returned it. "Something to share Mr. Hunter?"

"Not a thing...Mrs. Hunter." He grinned as she rolled her eyes.

"You've been waiting all day to say that, haven't you?" She asked, amused as she hung the dress on the bar provided.

"Been waiting months to call you that." Rick corrected as he pulled his dress shoes off, feeling the sweet relief. "Damn, they make these things so uncomfortable"

Lisa laughed before she took on a thoughtful look. "I just hope Kaylee will be okay staying with your father tonight."

"Lisa, relax." He soothed, pulling her into his arms and rubbing comforting circles with his thumbs. "Pop raised two boys. He is more than capable of watching his granddaughter for the night."

She buried her face into his chest and sighed. "I know that Rick, It's just...well it's the first night she won't be here with us. I can't help but worry."

Rick smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I know. It feels weird not to hear her bouncing around and giggling at us." He admitted. "But it's not like we won't be picking her up tomorrow afternoon."

The woman in his arms signed and conceded his point. "You're right Rick."

"See?" He grinned. "I can be right at times too."

She laughed and kissed him until they fell back onto the bed. Rick smirked at her in the way that made her head spin and wagged his eyebrows. "So...it is our wedding night."

"Pervert." She leaned in. "I wonder why I even married you."

"You love me."

The night would be one they wouldn't forget.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick waited outside the door to his father's house as Lisa ran to grab lunch for them all. The door opened with a swish, revealing a grinning Pop and Kaylee sucking on her own small fingers. She smiled wide when she saw Rick and reached out for him. The new husband took his daughter in his arms. "Hey there Sparky. Where you good for Grandpa?"

"She most certainly was." Pop smirked. "Much better behaved than you were at that age."

Rick laughed and thanked his father for taking care of Kaylee overnight for them. He gave a dismissive wave and grinned at his granddaughter who just grinned back, doing a fairly good job of a Hunter Grin. "No thanks needed my boy. Kaylee is the best Granddaughter out there! You be good for your parents now Kaylee."

Rick bid his father good bye and made his way back home, his daughter looking at the sky. At one point she reached out with her hand as a pair of Veritechs flew overhead. Rick's sharp eyes caught the distinctive Black Knight emblem on the tale as the fighters banked in a gentle turn for their patrol route. He wondered who was out on patrol today as he hadn't been able to catch the number on the nose and gave a mental shrug. He was on vacation until next Friday. The father and daughter continued down the street, Rick whistling happily as Kaylee giggled to from the noise until they bumped into Minmei in a heated argument one Lynn Kyle. Rick raised an eyebrow as the man paused and looked at him, glaring.

"It's because of him isn't it?"

Rick blinked in surprise as a confused Minmei glanced back and spotted Rick. She snapped her head back to Kyle and cocked her hand back and slapped Kyle across the face. Rick barely had enough time to turn Kaylee away from the scene, thought he was sure his little one would find the sight amusing. Kyle stumbled back and a small flask fell from his pocket. Minmei spotted it and picked it from the ground and poured the amber contents across the street. A crowd had started to gather around them as Minmei finally responded to the remark Kyle made. "Rick is a married man Kyle! In case you can't see with your double vision, his daughter is with him! Rick is a friend of mine as is his wife, Lisa! Don't you dare try to insinuate I'm involved with him!"

"Then who have you been cheating on me with?!"

"You disgusting little man!" Minmei screamed. "We are family!"

"Not by blood!"

Rick gave a disgusted look and Kaylee clapped at his face. Apparently she thought he was just making funny faces. Minmei was red with fury and slapped him again. "Get it through your head Kyle! We will never be anything!"

Kyle glared at her before leaving, but not without a final look over his shoulder. "Someday you'll see differently."

The crowd parted and Minmei threw the flask at him, missing by a foot as the man walked off. Rick glanced to the sound of approaching footsteps and took a curious look at Minmei as the woman was desperately trying to calm her anger. "What did I miss?"

"Don't worry. It'll be in the papers soon enough."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"We have a problem."

Khyron gave a bored look to the micronian on the display. "And what is that pray tell?"

"I think someone in the intelligence department has clued in on our transmissions. We can't risk getting caught. Otherwise, we put the whole plan at risk." The firgure reported.

"You want me to put my revenge on hold? Are you really that foolish to demand such a thing?" Khyron snarled. "That fleet your people are so diligently building away at will be ready with in the next seven months! How long do you expect me to wait? The day they attack my Factory?"

"If you want to chance your luck, fine." The figure sneered. "But I won't be helping you. If you attack now, they will slaughter your fleet."

"Impossible!" Khyron dismissively stated. "Even if your fleets have already reached that point, something I know to be false, they are woefully out gunned to be a threat."

"You're just not getting it do you?" The figure asked rhetorically. "They'd upgraded the designs to go toe to toe with anything you have ready to use. Breetai's ships have been undergoing repairs and upgrades themselves! We don't put this on hold, we'll both be killed. You lose your chance at revenge, I lose everything."

Khyron slammed his fist on his desk. "You micronians are rapidly becoming a thorn in my side. Very well. You will get me the data on all these upgrades."

"If I might suggest, there is a small listening post built on the moon of Titan. It's mostly just a research station for advance ship designs. Most of the information you will need can be accessed from there."

The Zentradi eyed the human carefully before he gave a curt nod. "Perhaps you are still useful to me."

The channel closed and the figure stiffened as the barrel of a pistol dug uncomfortably into his back. The owner of the weapon smiled darkly at the man who had been feeding information to the Zentradi. "Nicely done. Now, you are I are going to have a little chat. I'll decided whether or not to shoot you for treason at the end."

The man was forced around and glared at the gun wielding man.

"Tell me how you found me first."

"You got sloppy little spy." The man remarked. "You used a fractal encryption algorithm I designed with a two second rotating cipher. Not only that, but hiding the transmissions within the normal back ground chatter of the planet was obvious to someone who was looking for it. If you'd limited your little chats to a minute, nothing would have stood out. Sadly, you and your boss got greedy."

"You always were a smart bastard, weren't you T.R.?"

Edwards smiled. "Yes. You could say that. Now, we need to discuss just what you gain from Khyron should he win this little war. And trust me, you will talk. I despise those who betray their fellow man to blood thirsty aliens. And all of those who do will die."


	22. Chapter 22 Quoth the Raven

**A/N: Alright, here we are for number 22. I may need to extended it a bit as I really want to try to break 210K words with this. And sorry bout my rant last chapter. Just bugged me for some reason. Normally I ignore it. So, onto my review shout out, but first, big thanks to Fer82! Fer reminded me of the second generation RDF starships that I had, admittedly, forgotten about. So instead of the two other classes I mention, I've corrected it to the Banshee Light Crusier (ARMDs beging bumped down to Heavy Destroyer/Carrier Hybrids and the Oberths relabled as missile Frigates instead of Destoryers now) and the Tristar Battle Crusier. So, again, thanks Fer! Now, shout outs...**

 **shoopdan: Thanks man! As I've said, trying to make this go realistically and add some technical info in where applicable but not enough to drown the chapter in it. And yup, Edwards may be an ass, but he didn't really go off the deep end until mid Sentinels I believe. May be wrong but he wasn't so psycho during this part. And yes, it is too obvious to have him as the bad guy just yet.**

 **jag389: While yes, Rick does, Kyle will be dealt with this chapter. I think you'll be very surprised with how I did it. And don't fret. I'm still hashing out a squeal plot line to this, though I need to get my hands on the extended universe material and rewatch the ASC storyline again. If I do, I hate what I'll need to do to achieve it. And glad you liked the last few chapters as well!**

 **Fer82: Ah yes, you caught onto that I see! Yeah, as I said, at this point, Edwards is dedicated to Earth and her people. He may not like Rick specifically, but he still respects Gloval and has no real beef with Lisa. That always struck me as odd he would shoot her, but by that time, his hate and anger at Rick for not taking a better look around the control room and seeing his dying love would have bled over onto her. Revenge is a damning thing. But mainly, too obvious for Edwards to flip a wig just yet. You may like some of the comic book based info I've put in here**

 **sscaldwe: Ah, one of my most dedicated readers! Yeah, see, I pulled the Roy and Kaylee crying thing from my own experience with my niece! Up until she was two, all she did was either ignore me or cry when I was near her. My brother still says it's because of my face but in reality, it;s because I didn't see her on a regular basis until this past thanksgiving when he moved back to Ohio. He followed in my footsteps and joined the US Marines. Freaking grease monkey is what he was when he was in lol! And the wedding, I'm really not sure how I pulled that off as I've only been to one. Than you google for Wedding Officals speeches! And I always wondered if anyone explained to Exedore just what the signs meant. Kinda a way to pay homage to the original series lol.**

 **JayDog75: Oh yes indeed my friend. I've actually been planning this little plot twist for sometime now. Trust me, you will not be disappointed! In my mind, my coming twist makes a lot of sense for the particular character and I actually set it up during an earlier chapter. As for Rick spacing on his vows...well, not only was it funny to me (I'd probably do the same thing if I ever get to that point!) but it seemed so...Rick? Yeah, it seemed like something he'd do. And thanks! The characters have taken a life of their own at this point! I'll be reading your latest update after this is posted.**

 **Just A Crazy-Man: Yeah, ARMD and Oberth upgrades! The thing that seemed to bug me the most was even knowing how crappy they were against Zed ships, the UEG and RDF never once upgraded them far as I could see. It makes no sense not to start refits to correct that. They'll end up being the back bone of Earth Defense in a sequel, so I wanted to give them more teeth.**

 **andrewjameswilliams: Thanks a million for your review my friend! You helped me fix an error in chapter twenty I had completely goofed! Always a delight to see your reviews and don't worry, that kinda of knitpick I welcome! Don't worry about doing it further as I want to make this the best I can.**

 **Alright, one final word, thanks for the kind words guys. It was a shock, but I'm good now. So, with out further ado, Chapter 22. Be prepared for a big twist that I'm pretty sure many of you didn't anticipate. As I said, I've been planning it for awhile and wanted it to be a big shock!**

* * *

Chapter 22 Quoth the Raven

"Captain! Welcome back!"

Lisa grinned as she stepped onto the bridge of the SDF-1 to report in to the Admiral before she got to work over on the SDF-2. It was truly coming along beautifully. It was slow going as the armor plates were not easy to fabricate, especially as they had only recently gotten the infrastructure rebuilt. Had they been able to avoid the Rain of Death, the construction could probably have gone faster. The plants were working around the clock to forge the armor for both the SDF-2 and the slowly rebuilding fleet. Out of the fifteen battlegroups ordered by the RDF and the UEG, only four had been completed so far. Well almost. The new battlegroups didn't have the command ships just yet as they were still stuck at an agonizing pace for completion. But they were still deadly enough to ward off most small to mid scale threats they were anticipating. And the population was truly booming as it was intended. The year after the rain of death, with the five million plus population, near three million births had come about. They expected another boom near that size in the upcoming two years or so. Lisa looked to a smiling Kim and nodded. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Not really." Vanessa answered as she smirked at Lisa. "It's been so quiet without Captain Hunter around."

"Which one?" Sammie joked.

"Both!" Kim snarked with a grin. All the girls laughed as Lisa just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You three are terrible."

"Yup! That's us!" They chirp as a group. "The Terrible Trio!"

"Alright you three, enough of teasing our new Captain Hunter." Claudia laughed by her place at the Helm. "I do agree, it has been pretty boring around here. I'm looking forward to seeing my niece again. I take it you three had a relaxing two weeks?"

Lisa gave her friend a smile and a a nod. "Yes. While it wasn't a honeymoon per say, it was truly a special vacation for the three of us."

"So where did the Hunter clan go?" Claudia asked, curious. "The last we heard, you guys were in the city for two days before you left."

"We went out on a cruise." Lisa answer smiling brightly. "Rick pulled a few strings and got us first class accommodations on a luxury liner that runs through the Caribbean. It was beautiful. It looks untouched by any of the disasters over the past few years."

"How did Kaylee like it?"

"Oh she loved it!" Lisa gushed, remembering how her daughter had been awestruck. "Rick took her to the pool and she took to it like a duck to water. She looked so adorable splashing around while Rick supported her in the water."

"He sounds like he has become quite the father." Claudia remarked with pride in her voice.

"He has." Lisa confirmed, a little smile on her face. "I think he even found someone to make her a onesie of a flight suit, though he swears it wasn't him. He's actually planning to take her up on a flight today."

"Is that a safe idea?"

"It'll be fine Kim." Lisa responded, looking to her friend. "Roy and Pop actually got together with help from Vince and his boys to rebuild the Mockingbird for him."

"His old racer right?"

"That's the one."

All eyes darted to the door as a thump was heard followed by the ever familiar stream of Russian curses they'd grown so used to over the years. Lisa merely looked at him with confusion. "Sir, why haven't we had that fixed yet?"

Henry paused before he opened his mouth and closed it just as quick. He rubbed his chin in thought. Why had they not fixed that hatchway yet? He tugged at his cover to hide his sheepish look. "I admit to having forgotten to sign off on that particular work order."

The girls just laughed as Henry glowered in embarrassment.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick smiled as he looked to the two other men walking to the hangers with him. It had been years since they'd all flown together. Rick smiled brightly as he saw a grinning Vince watching him approach. Next to his arm crossed form, stood dozens off other men and woman from the SDF-1's aircraft maintenance team. They stood in front of a very familiar looking craft, one Rick had not seen in close to four years. His racer. Rick stepped to Vince, gratitude and joy on his face.

"She's gassed and ready for you sir."

Rick placed a hand on Vince's shoulder. "Vince...thank you. Thank you, all of you. I can't believe you rebuilt her."

Vince watched as his friend took a step closer to the bird and ran his hand over the name written in looping letters across her nose. "She looks great guys."

"Your wife asked us to put some work into her." Vince explained as he motioned for a flight helmet and a set of stars for Rick to use. "She told us all how much you missed your old one. So it's our wedding gift to you."

Rick wiped his eyes and gave a grateful nod to his friends. Little Kaylee was looking at the plane before her in wonder from the baby carrier Roy had made from some safety harnesses to look more pilot like for the little one. She was even wearing the flight suit onsie both her grandfathers had made for her. Or that should be, asked someone to make for her. Where as Rick's was a red trimmed, Kaylee had an emerald green trim. For some reason, she really disliked the color pink. Rick looked to his father as the old man was making his way towards his old air circus plane, one he'd saved as it had been loaded on the SDF-1 when he'd transferred to her. It was an old F-11 Tiger, long since retired but the same Aircraft type Pop started with when in the Navy. He saved the old girl from rusting away in a boneyard and had been speechless when he realized the tail number was the same as the first jet he had ever flown in service.

Next to them, Rick could hear the crank of the old Fokker Roy had somehow conned a museum to let him take up for the day. Rick guessed being a Commodore along with not only a Global Civil War hero, but also a RoboTech War Hero got you some lead way. Seeing the other two men readying their own planes, Rick grinned down at his daughter who was looking up at him in awe.

"What do you say Daddy shows you what flying is like?"

The baby gave a happy laugh and clapped her chubby hands in agreement. Today, three generations of Hunters would take to the sky for the first time in years. And Rick couldn't be happier.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Khyron waited with what little patience he had left for the infernal micronian to answer is communications link. He knew the little bug had made himself a target to who ever it was that was tracking him. But the slippy worm had dodged his own people before. His eyes looked to the report from his forces and he was at least pleased with that. With the abundance of fuel, munitions, and personnel, Khyron's fleet would very soon out number Breetai's aging wrecks, not matter what repairs or upgrades his little spy reported they had. And while they had been some rather interesting plans in place that his men had spirited away from that Micronian facility, it was nothing in the data that raised any concerns from him or his men. He sighed and terminated the link, knowing that if he kept it active too long, someone would trace his position. His spy had been in tight spots before so he knew the man would answer eventually. But Khyron would only be delayed for a little while longer.

"Time is the fire in which we burn." Khyron mused. "Perhaps it is time to cut my looses with the spy and move on with the plan."

He pulled open the documents he had received from both the salvaged computers of Azonia's ships and what his spy had sent him. His eyes scanned the documents intently, his brow furrowed in concentration. With the human fleet up to an estimated thirty-five ships, they were of no real threat. Oh sure, increased missile tubes and a few more laser placements, but they'd need too many passes at his ships to even be a threat. No, it was the reported five thousand ships that Breetai kept in orbit why ten small squadrons of fifty ships a piece patrolled the system while looking for him. Which was amusing. They could look all they liked. They knew where he was and yet kept up the hunt for him in the Micronian system. "Hmmm...it is nearing the Yuletide Holiday those miserable bugs seem to favor. Maybe I should give them a gift to show my undying hate for them a few months early?"

He swapped the files around and brought up the history of the species once more, his eyes scanning for the entry he'd read some time ago and grinned darkly as he read over it. "Yes. Yes this will do. This will do nicely!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sharp rap from the door brought Rick back to the world of the living. He'd been going over his flight reports once again as the time for the operation drew near. They had a solid plan for the teams set to board the satellite factory and the war games they had been involved in with their Zentradi Allies had been particularly satisfying. The two groups may have started off as enemies, but after training together for near three months, the two groups worked like a finely turned machine. They would still continue training, but at this point, they were just waiting on the fleet to finish construction. The last battlegroup they would need would be rolling out of the dockyards in the next three months. After that, the Human ships and the Zentradi ships ould begin their own training excessive to get the fleet commanders used to working together. Admiral Gloval was actually very excited to get to work even if it wouldn't be him in command of the human fleet. No, that actually fell to Roy. Since he was the second highest ranking Officer in the fleet, Commodore Fokker would be the one in command. Roy had been locked away for hours with the Admiral and Breetai, who had decided to remain Micronized until after they got the Factory back. When Rick had asked about it, Breetai said it was because they couldn't afford to return him to his normal height as the process was an unnecessary drain on critical resources. Rick would bet six months of pay it was because he liked to be able to hold Kaylee.

"Come in."

Rick looked up and blinked in surprise as Edwards entered, a grim look on his face. Rick narrowed his eyes as the man approached him. "What's wrong now Colonel?"

"I plugged the leak."

Rick furrowed his brow in confusion. "What leak?"

"I think you better come with me." T.R. Sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It's a rather surprising twist. One even I hadn't expected."

"Not until you explain what you mean by a leak."

Edwards frowned, debating whether or not to tell him here. After a moment's pause, he relented. "Two months ago, the S-6 spotted some weird com traffic. They were brief ten minute links, but heavily encrypted. The com bubbas started tracking the frequency, but couldn't latch onto a pattern. They passed it to the Intel Department to track. The links started to take longer in time, the longest was the one a few days before your wedding."

Rick's eyes narrowed and his temper flared as he spoke with an icy tone. "We've had a spy among us. Zed?"

"That's the strange part." Edwards remarked. "It's a human. We managed to break the cipher after I figured out it was based on an encryption protocol I wrote for the RDF near six years back. The spy in our midst had been feeding Khyron himself information."

"Is our plan at risk?"

"Not as bad as we expected, but yes. We never could get full transcripts, but Khyron knows we are coming for that Factory this coming spring." Edwards explained. "That's the good news."

"The good news?" Rick was incredulous. "Our tactical plan has been leaked to an enemy commander and that's the _good_ news? What's the bad news?"

"We have no idea what Khyron will do now that his spy has been removed."

"So, back to square one then." Rick muttered darkly. "So who was the leak?"

Edwards opened his mouth and closed it before he cocked his head to the side, his eyes seemed to be studying Rick. "Would you believe Lynn Kyle?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lynn Kyle was currently grinning smugly at an irate Admiral Gloval. Waiting in the room behind him was one Captain Lisa Hunter, watching with narrowed eyes as Minmei just shook in fury. She'd been picked up by the MP s once Kyle had been brought in and questioned. The young woman was disgusted someone in her family could even betray her friends and all those who fought so hard to protect them. It was Lisa's steadying hand on her shoulder that prevented Minmei from going through the glass and strangling the man. The waited as the door to the room opened and both Thomas Edwards and Rick Hunter entered, Rick's anger was not even hidden while Edwards appeared to be keeping a cool head and standing near Rick. Lisa was curious as to why, though if Kyle popped off the wrong way, she knew Rick would fly over the table and probably strangle the man. "So, the war criminal is here now. Good."

Rick closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath as Kyle's lawyer tried to quiet him. "As your legal advocate I advise you keep you mouth shut!"

"What does it matter?" Kyle snarled. "They'll just drag me out back and shoot me! They don't care for legal process of for peace!"

Kyle pointed his finger right at Rick as the man kept his face blank. "If they did, he and his warmongering friends would be facing war crimes for the needless slaughter by their super weapon! Or have we all forgotten about that?"

"Kyle, I'm telling you to shut the hell up!" The Lawyer hissed. "You're only making this worse!"

Kyle just scoffed. "It doesn't matter anymore. Khyron promised he would end this senseless bloodshed as soon as Captain Rick Hunter was handed over to him. I agreed with the condition he makes sure the rest of the command crew of the SDF-1 are removed."

"How much did you tell him?" Edwards asked, his own ire rising with the others close to breaking point. Well Rick at least. "Better yet, how did you even get the information on our fleet movements and our plan."

"Some of you criminals actually have a conscious." Kyle sneered. "I have a source whose been keeping me updated. Khyron is sure to be pleased that someone besides me is willing to peacefully resolve this."

"You actually believe Khyron won't kill us? You are a stupid cyka aren't you?" Henry ground out. "He will only leave once he has killed every last one of us."

"Save your breath Admiral Gloval." Kyle sneered. "Your time is coming. As is that of yours Captain. Such a sad thing though. For the world to be at peace, your daughter and whore will have to be sacrificed. There really is no-urk!"

The lawyer pulled Kyle clear, not because he was defending the man. He really wanted to shoot Kyle himself as he was a father and a husband like Rick. No, he pulled the man back harshly to prevent Rick from facing any kind of charges for assault. Rick was snarling as Edwards wrapped an arm around his throat mid lunge across the table while Henry gripped his shoulders. Edwards was glaring dangerously at Kyle. "You know, I don't like Hunter. I'll admit that much freely. But to threaten an innocent child...you're very lucky I detest the idea of any child growing up with out a father like I had too."

His smile became predatory. "And to insult any woman as you just did...well, I hope my grip doesn't 'slip'."

In the observation room, Lisa was seeing red at hearing Kyle's words. First, he betrayed all of them. Top secret mission plans had been leaked. Second, he threatened her family. Not just Kaylee and Rick, but Claudia and all of the others. He sat there looking so smug as he admitted it. And third, there was someone involved in the planning that had been tipping off Kyle about their movement. And if he wouldn't tell them...any changes they made could still make it back to Kyhron. Which meant they were sunk. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced to see Minmei, her face contorted into rage as her heated gaze seemed to burn through the glass. Taking a calming breath, Lisa gave a small squeeze of the younger woman's hand. "We know you're innocent in all of this."

"I know." The tight reply came from her. "I'm just...I want to rip his throat out."

"Join the club."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So we have two moles in our midst." Henry rubbed his eyes. "This is turning into one giant..."

"Cluster fuck?" Roy offered from his spot in the Admiral's office. Henry gave thoughtful expression before he replied.

"I was going to say disaster but that works too."

Rolf Emmerson, the man in command of the Earth Defense Fleet after the death of Captain Jefferies sighed and shook his head. "We've too many people to question directly. And with the window for the attack coming up soon..."

"We've just managed to get the two fleets acting as one." Roy remarked grimly. "Any plan change will push us back and we'll miss our window of opportunity."

Henry rubbed his chin and turned his chair to stare out of the window over looking Monument City, the defacto UEG and RDF headquarters. While New Macross was the main training and staging grounds, it was too visible of a placement. It was also tactically unwise. "We continue with the plan."

"Sir, with respect, that's inviting disaster." Rolf commented, his gaze showing he didn't agree. "If we continue on, Khyron will be able to counter us. Just knowing the time frame for our attack gives him a good chance at kicking our ass."

"And changing it completely will screw us over." Roy counted with a sigh. The blonde man leaned back in his seat, scratching at the long healed wounds he suffered two years ago with a wince. They had an occasional flare up in pain. "We're screwed ten ways to Sunday on this one."

"Not necessarily." Henry commented with a thoughtful tone. "We can work this plan well. And we can compensate to still ensure victory. It will require our trump card."

Roy's eyes went wide as realization flashed in his mind. Rolf narrowed his eyes in understanding. "Sir, that's not a very wise course of action. It is no where near ready combat. And it's special weapon hasn't even passed a successful test yet in the simulator. Lang is still tearing out is hair in frustration over the calculations."

"Gentlemen, I understand your concerns." Henry took a deep breath before his gaze became hardened. "But at this time, we must go all in."

"And hope Khyron can't match our hand." Roy rubbed his temples before he spoke. "Admiral, it's a stupid and dangerous gambit. One that could surly blow up in our face and make this far worse then it currently is."

The blonde man gave a smirk. "But it's so out of the box and unpredictable, it might just be crazy enough to work. Count me in!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick yawned as Lisa chatted with Sarah, all three of them waiting in the hospital room. Max had called leaving a frantic message that Miriya had gone into labor three weeks early and asked Rick to meet him there. Rick, worried that maybe something had gone wrong, phoned Ben and brought him up to speed as Lisa rushed to get the now nine month old baby dressed. They'd made their way to the hospital, thought not with out Rick taking two wrong turns and glaring at the road as Lisa made a few comments about his navigating skills. He'd shot back he was used to moving in three directions, not limited to two. He'd caught her barely comment and just ignored her the rest of the trip as both had frayed nerves from what little information Max had given them. Rick's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps and spotted Ben making his way towards them, two coffee trays in his hand. Rick rose to his feet and grabbed one that Ben indicated was for him and Lisa.

"Still nothing?"

"Not a peep yet Ben." Rick replied, handing Lisa her coffee as Kaylee napped in the stroller. "Hopefully we'll hear something soon."

All four adults turned to a sudden shrill scream and Rick just cocked an eyebrow as Sarah and Lisa chanced a look before Kaylee woke with a cry. Ben was looking towards the door with a furrowed brow. "Was that Miriya? Or was that Max?"

"Can't tell. I think it was Miriya." Rick scratched his chin in thought. "Could have been Max though."

The girls rolled their eyes as Lisa went to work soothing a grumpy Kaylee. Her and Rick had learned real quick she took after Lisa when roused too early from sleep. Rick had gotten a bottle to the face for it. He'd blamed Lisa who could only grimace in agreement. The young child yawned and rubbed her eyes before she spotted Skull and hugged the stuffed plane Rick had gotten her months ago. They'd had to repair it twice as Kaylee had a bad habit of pulling the eyes off of it. She cuddled into the stuffed toy and started to drift off again while Rick just grinned at Lisa. "Told you she is more like you than me."

"When have you ever seen me act like that?" Lisa demanded, trying not to smile.

"Last night." Rick remarked. "You've been falling asleep the moment I pull you into my arms."

"Well, you are comfortable." Lisa muttered, dropping her head so that the curtains of hair blocked her blush from view. Ben just gave a small laugh, though careful not to wake Kaylee. He'd seen the results of her aim from the black eye Rick had sported from the bottle incident. It was still the talk of Skull's briefing room.

"So any bets on the name?"

"That's too hard to figure out sweetheart." Sarah replied stretching her small frame. "Miriya has been tight lipped about any possible name and threatened to break Max's arm if he even told anyone."

"Why his arm?" Rick asked, confused. "Shouldn't it be jaw?"

Sarah grinned and Rick immediately regretted even asking as he saw her evil look. "She likes what he can do with his mouth and refused to deprive herself of that talent."

Rick gave her a sour look much to the amusement of Lisa and Ben.

"I really didn't need to know that."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick looked down at his goddaughter as the newborn yawned tiredly and blinked her light blue eyes. "She's beautiful Max."

Said man grinned. His own exhaustion present as Miriya smiled at Rick. Beside him, Lisa looked at the newest Sterling, little Dana with a warm smile.

"I can already tell she'll look a lot like Miriya." She looked down and saw Kaylee looking at the newborn with curiosity. "Say hi to your godsister Kaylee."

The baby looked up at Lisa, hearing her voice and gave the most adorably confused look anyone had ever seen. She turned to the sound of gurgling and smiled, giggling right back at the newborn. Ben smirked while Max watched in pride. "Looks like they've already become friends!"

"That's the hope Ben." Max chuckled. "All we need now is you to complete the trio!"

Rick chuckled and passed the baby to Max while Ben began sputtering, his face red. Sarah looked at him expectantly and Lisa had to cover her mouth with her free hand while Kaylee just stared at the small baby. "Well Ben?"

"Come on guys!" Ben whined. "I just don't think I'm ready to be a Dad."

"And you think I was?" Rick asked him. All eyes turned to an introspective Rick Hunter. "Ben, I never thought I was father material. We all know how much of a screw up I was in the beginning. I could barely function as an adult, let alone be responsible for a new life."

Rick looked to Lisa and Kaylee as the little girl smiled at him, showing off her few teeth that had, and a loving smile graced his lips. "But when I found out I was going to be a Dad, the doubts were even worse. Could I even succeed as a father? Would I fail my child? Would I fail Lisa? Those thoughts were the most repeating in my head. I was afraid I'd screw up. But...when Kaylee was born and I held her in my arms, I knew then and there I would do everything in my power to raise her right and to love her no matter what."

He looked to an awestruck Ben as Max just nodded his head in agreement to Rick's words. Miriya was watching Rick intently as she too had had similar thoughts. Lisa was surprised that Rick had felt that way. He'd never once shown he had any doubts about his ability to be a father. She felt tears well in her eyes. "Ben, you've been my wingman and my friend for years. Believe me when I say I have no doubt in my mind you would be an excellent father to any child that is lucky enough to have you as a dad."

"I agree with everything Rick has said Ben." Max rose and placed his hand on his friends shoulder while Rick placed his one Max's and Ben's. "It's scarier than anything we've ever done. Facing a full Zentradi fleet didn't compare how scared I am to mess up in this. But I know this will be the only important thing I ever do in my life. Winning a war...that was expected of me. Raising a beautiful baby girl...that's going to be harder and yet much more rewarding. We believe in you and this is no different when we go into combat. I know you'll be great."

Ben blinked back tears, touched deeply that they thought so highly of him. Lisa was watching, stunned as an image overlayed the three men. Three young woman, clad in flight suits and grins reminiscent of their fathers stood in the same place the three men did, hands on each others shoulders. It was a powerful image and brought her to tears as Sarah was wiping her own from her eyes, a proud smile on her face while Miriya gave an approving nod, her own smile clear to all as Little Dana slept peacefully in her arms. Seeing the three Brothers was aweinspiring.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Truly a miracle for our people." Breetai remarked as he looked down at the small Dana in his hands. "This is proof indeed we can live in peace."

"Indeed." Exedore commented, watching with a thoughtful look. "TO think that Human physiology and Zentradi can achieve such a wonderful gift."

"It was expected." Lisa commented. "We are genetically identical."

Exedore nodded to her. "Yes, which is quite an interesting coincidence in the cosmic scale of things. We had been created as nothing more than a labor force at first, minors and such, before we were re purposed as warriors. To have our genetic make up be an exact match to yours...the odds are astronomical."

"But not impossible." Breetai remarked, smiling down as the baby looked at him with curious eyes.

"Indeed."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick hummed as he made finished setting the table for dinner. The Hunter House would be the gathering place for the massive Christmas Eve Dinner and everyone in the family was in attendance, well except Pop and the Admiral. Rick had no idea where they were but both had promised to be there. Ten moth old little Kaylee was was giggling away as she played with the toy blocks she had, making small little towers while the small yet determined Dana would try to each out and try to toppled the tower. She wasn't succeeding to much but both mothers had watched with happy smiles when Kaylee handed Dana her stuffed Skull One and the baby seemed to like. " Mom. Plane!"

Rick grinned with pride as Kaylee pointed at the stuffed plane as she looked to her mother, grinning. Lisa just smirked and nodded. "Yes Kaylee. It's a plane."

"I told you that would be her first word." Rick said triumphantly, remembering the day Kayless said her first word. It had been about two months ago when he had just gotten home from another war game exercise...

 _"Rick! I think she'd about to say her first word!"_

 _He moved into the bedroom and saw Kaylee gripping the bars with her tiny little hands and smiling widely at them, her few teeth sparkling white as she seemed to bounce on the mattress in the crib, her dark blonde hair shining in the light. The baby looked to Lisa and then back at Rick and her face seemed to scrunch up as she tried to speak. He watched in interest as her mouth moved, cocking his head to the side in wonder as she finally said what she was so determined to. "Pane."_

 _Lisa blinked and looked to Rick, confused as the man seemed to freeze in place._

 _"Pane?" Lisa repeated, her brow furrowed. "She doesn't mean..."_

 _Rick looked to Lisa as her voice trailed off with a knowing tone before looking back to his daughter._

 _"Kaylee..." Rick started slowly. "Do you mean plane?"_

 _"Pane!" She chirped loudly, as if trying to confirm that's what she was saying. For good measure she looked up and reached for the mobile above her crib. "Pane!"_

 _Lisa sighed and shook her head in exasperation as Rick gave victorious cry, dancing around the room to the amusement of Lisa and a giggling Kaylee. She looked to her daughter and rolled her eyes. "Of all the possible first word to use, mom, dad, uncle...you choose plane. You are your father's daughter alright. I really don't know why I'm surprised."_

Despite Lisa's words, she was quite happy about her daughter's newest skill regardless. She turned to Rick and just smiled. "Yes well, it really wasn't too much of a surprise that she'd chose 'plane' as her first word."

"Plane!"

The adults laughed as the ten month old just clapped and laughed as the looked at her. As they watched, she got to her feet in a wobbly motion and turned to Miriya, holding her arms out to the Zentradi woman. Miriya smiled and was about to get up from her spot beside Max when Kaylee finally did what she had been fighting to do for the a month and a half. She'd mostly managed to master standing on her own, the first time Rick saw her do that, he'd dropped his pop from his hand in surprise while Lisa's jaw dropped. They'd been told to expect her to start moving on her own around her ninth to tenth month but seeing her stand herself up at seven had surprised them. The child had tired to move and instead fell forward, hitting her head on the soft part of the couch and had cried her little lungs out as Lisa rushed over and checked the baby over while Rick just stared in surprise. Now, both jaws were dropped as Kaylee put one little foot in front of the other, determined to walk as she pin wheeled her little arms to help her stay moving. She took about five steps before she started to loose her balance and Miriya was quick to catch her, hoisting the giggling girl into her arms, a smug look on her face as the baby cackled from her arms. Lisa looked to Rick and sighed. "Please tell me someone recorded that?"

"I did Lisa. Moment she stood up I grabbed the camera." Roy laughed, passing the device to Lisa. Rick was still staring at his daughter in pride and awe.

"She...she just..."

Lisa placed a hand on Rick's shoulder and smiled while giving it a gentle squeeze. "Yes Rick. She just took her first steps."

They were broken from their little proud moment when the door opened and all eyes turned to the door. Rick's and Ben's eyes went wide in shock while Roy, Claudia, and Max doubled over in laughter. Lisa's mouth formed a perfect o from her surprise, eyebrows disappearing into her bangs, while Miriya just gave a curious look to the newest arrivals. Vince looked like a fish out of water while Jean buried her face in his shoulder, shaking as she laughed. "Merry Christmas!"

The Trio lost it and burst into giggles as the caught sight of the two new arrivals as they entered the room. Mitchell Hunter was dressed like an elf, minus the weird shoes, grinning widely as Kaylee began giggling at him and clapping. Her clapping and happy face turned to one of horror as she spotted the man behind him and little Dana just stared at the strange sight. Standing behind Pop, wearing a dark red Santa suit and a fake beard, his eyebrow twitching, was one Henry J Gloval. "Why did I let you talk me into this?"

Pop let out a deep belly laugh as the man crossed his arms and looked grumpier than he actually felt about the idea.

"It's Christmas _Santa._ " Pop grinned. "And you agreed it would be funny remember?"

"Wait, you conned the Admiral into dressing like Santa?" Roy grinned at Pop. "Why not you? You got the jolly part down."

Pop gave a short glare to his oldest. "You ain't careful boy, you're gonna get more than coal this year stuck into a stocking. You ain't too old for me to take out back."

"So, you look good Admiral." Roy change tracks much to everyone's amusement except Kaylee who still had a fearful look on her fac. "Surprised you didn't dye your mustache to be honest."

"It is already graying because of you and your brothers Fokker." Gloval stated, deadpanned.

Lisa looked pointedly at Rick who refused to meet her gaze. Sarah poked Ben in his ribs as the man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at the Admiral's statement while Max just smirked, knowing very well he, Ben, Rick, and Roy were a source of frustration with how crazy they were in combat. "I learned from Skipper how to fly like a lunatic."

"Hey!" Rick pouted and pointed a finger at Max. "You already flew like a loon long before I got you in my squadron!"

"Yeah, but I'm not stupid enough to try to loop around behind an enemy fighter force to hit them from behind in a three man assault." Max countered as the group laughed, Kaylee now looking at the Admiral in confusion as she recognized the voice but it didn't look like her grandpa to her. Rick had the grace to look chagrined as his cheeks flushed, remembering that oh so _great_ idea he had gotten.

"Well, it worked didn't it?"

Ben looked at him with mirth. "Boss, we blew up the wrong ship."

"Left ship, Right ship..." Rick waved a dismissive hand as the group laughed. Even Henry was smirking about it. "Still broke the assault and completed the mission."

Henry chuckled and pulled the beard off his head and heard a sudden cry of 'Grandpa' and turned to smile at a now smiling Kaylee. "How is my Granddaughter?"

"You guys just missed her taking her first steps." Lisa commented as Rick went to get the food from the kitchen. Henry smiled proudly at Kaylee as Pop let out a chuckle.

"We were late because Henry was against dressing like Santa. Thank God she's too young to remember this night very well!" Henry laughed..

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"That was a great meal." Roy patted his tomach with a sigh. "You are a great cook Lisa."

Lisa just smirked and pointed a fork towards a grinning Rick. "Actually, Fly boy here cooked all of this."

Roy blinked in surprise before smirking. "Should I be worried about food poisoning?"

The group laughed as a dinner roll hit the side of his head from a grinning Rick. "If I poison you, you'll know it."

"Not the way to earn a promotion Captain." Sammie laughed as Rico shook his head in amusement before he spoke.

"I wanted to thank you for the gift Captain Hunter."

Rick grinned and gave a small nod. "Don't worry about it Rico. When I told Minmei how much of a fan you, Konda, and Brom where, she had no problem with getting you guys all inclusive backstage passes to her next five shows."

"You left out that she was more than happy because they were your friends Rick." Lisa remarked. "But still, it was the least we could do for helping us out."

Rico, Brom, and Konda, had been of great help over the last few years. Even helped them to ease the tension some of their fellows felt by putting them in mixed squads with human forces to fight off the few remaining hostile Zentradi units around Earth. Those men had been of a major help to the RDF and the people of Earth and Rick felt this would be a small way to thank them for all their hard work. Even Breetai had honored them with promotions, making them now the leaders of the Zentradi forces on the surface. The levity was broken by the sounds of several explosions and the adults moved quickly, Lisa grabbing Kylee and Miriya already had little Dana in her arms. Rick and the guys were already outside looking up into the glowing sky as a lone Zentradi cruiser, trailing smoke and flames struggled to remain airborne as fighters and pods swarmed it. From where they stood, they could see the return fire from the SDF-1 and the SDF-2 before the wounded and dying ship continued it's fall, engines flaring before they cut out. Rick pulled Lisa into his side, a grim look on his face as a massive explosion flared from the SDF-2. He knew that ship was no where ready to face even a fighter attack. The group were joined as others came out of there homes and watched in horror as the wounded Zentradi ship slammed into the incomplete SDF-2's side, explosions chaining up and down the ships before a massive fireball lit the night sky in bright light. They covered their eyes quickly as the light flared before it faded away. "No..."

The SDF-1 was barely standing as smoke and flames covered her hull with dozens of breeches of various sizes crossed her back, most from where the SDF-2 had been moored to. Henry was shaking in rage at the sight, his eyes ablaze with anger.

 _"Greetings Micronians! It is I, Khyron the Destroyer! I understand this is a time of love and joy, the spirit of giving gifts to express yourselves! I too wished to give you a gift to express my utter disdain for you and your kind. I hope you like it as it would be impossible to return now!"_

They listened as the voice cackled, Kaylee shaking in fear as little Dana began to cry.

 _"This gift was directed mostly to Admiral Gloval and Captain Lisa Hunter. You both have been such thorns in my side. Enjoy this Christmas as it will be your last!"_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"And we still have no idea where he is?"

Thomas sighed and nodded. "He's crafty, I'll give him that. He bounced the signal around so much, the S-6 can't even tell if it was just a recording or an actual live transmission. The fact is, he is rapidly working his way up my shit list. Sorry Hunter, you've been knocked to number two."

Rick smirked at Edwards attempt at humor and gave a faux hurt look. "And here I thought I had a special place in your heart Colonel."

Edwards grinned as Roy and Gloval looked over the damage reports.

"Oh don't worry. Unlike you, I'd gladly stick a knife in Khyron's back." He gave Rick a thoughtful look. "So how is Captain Hunter taking the attack."

"She's furious." Rick replied. "Relieved that no one was actually on board the SDF-2, but furious her first command is now a pile of metal at the bottom of a lake."

"I see. If there is one bit of good news from all of this, it's allowed us to shift focus to the fleet."

Henry gave a resigned sigh and gave a nod in agreement. "Yes. As much as I hate to say it like this, we can now turn those resources for the SDF-2 towards the Tristars and Banshees."

"I'd recommend sinking them into getting the lead ship up and running." Roy suggested. "If we use what systems we have already in use instead of waiting on the more advanced ones that seem to still be just pretty words and promises, we could possibly have her ready for our strike."

"Agreed." Edwards turned to the admiral, his arms crossed. "Sir, Khyron did more than just destroy the SDF-2. He just showed the people of our world he can attack whenever he pleases. The physiological blow done to us is far greater than the loss of the ship. We need to do something to show those people out there we can still protect them."

"We are not building another Grand Cannon or repairing the one at Alaska Base."

"I wasn't suggesting that sit." Edwards frowned. "Too resource exhaustive. I'd suggest we start placing defensive batteries around the city again. Maybe the laser batteries from the first gen ARMDs or even a few heavy rail gun mounts. We can spin it to say that they weren't in place until now as they were being upgraded and made much more deadly to defend our cities. It culd buy us some time with the UEG council at the very least."

Henry contemplated it before he agreed.

"Very well. See to it Colonel."

The door opened and a grim faced Maistroff entered the room. Henry gave him a curious look as the General seemed to be hesitant to speak. "Yes, what is it?"

"Lynn Kyle was found dead sir." The man reported grimly. "The facility we were holding him in was attacked by a suicide bomber. From what we can tell, it and six other buildings, mostly civilian ones, were attacked. And the Council is screaming for Khyron's head now."

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"My lord, incoming communications!" the officer manning the com array called out.

"From where?" Khyron demanded.

"The Micronian world. Tranmission looks to be from our spy."

Khyron rubbed his jaw in thought. Perhaps the human bug had gotten away from his captors. His information on the research site had been false. No such facility existed, only a group of Breetai's ships waited for his scout force. Which meant either the spy had tried to double cross him or he had been fed misinformation. Either way, it was odd he was calling him seeing how he should have been dead. "Very well. Put it through my monitor."

The screen snapped over from his reading of Micronian history, specifically from the year in their calendar of 2001, and felt surprise course through him at the man on the screen. He narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Greetings Lord Khyron." The firgure spoke, at least showing proper respect. "It is a pleasure to speak with you."

"You haven't answered my question Micronian." Khyron glared. "Who are you? And why are you contesting me?"

"My lord, I am offering my services to you as I once did to Lynn Kyle." The figure spoke, still avoiding telling him who he was. "I wish to denounce my loyalty to Earth and pledge my allegence to you."

"And what can you offer?"

"I am a pilot in Captain Rick Hunter's squadron and I can help you to achieve your revenge against him."

Khyron blinked in surprise before his gaze hardened. This seemed too good to be true, but if it was, this would explain how a non-warrior had gotten a hold of many military secrets. "And you would betray your kind? Why? Just who are you?"

"I will answer those in the order given my lord." The man smirked. "My kind betrayed me long ago. Rick Hunter should never have been so highly praised as he has gotten more men killed then saved. My people allowed the Rain of Death which killed all I held dear in my life. They have proven themselves weak and ineffective. I no longer submit to them."

Khyron could understand his points, even the killing part as he would admit he did respect Azonia but nowhere near enough to swear revenge in her name. He was still glad she was dead and gone but wondered if he should bring her back? He did have her template stored in the satellite. He snapped his thoughts back to the man before him. "You still have not told me who you are. My pateince is wearing thin."

The figure's smirk darkened. "You may call me Raven my lord."

* * *

 **A/N: Yup, I destroyed the SDF-2 earlier and have changed around Seasons Greetings and Viva Miriya in my timeline. I have a plan for this and trust me, you'll love how this goes. Next chapter will be some what darker for you guys than I normally write, but trust me, you'll be extremely satisfied. Four left in this arc guys and I'm already dreading the completion but as I said, I'm thinking on a sequel. Just don't get your hopes up too much but If I do, the sequel will cover the begining of the Masters storyline and go right into the Pioneer mission. Early estimates on word length are already topping the 200K mark with all the material I'll have to cover. It may end up as three more distinct sequels, with two of them overlapping around the middle before I do the Shadow arc that we only got one movie for! Harmony Gold, what have you done to us?!**


	23. Chapter 23 To Battle Part One

**A/N: Since I'll be working two shifts starting tomorrow and through Saturday, I busted my ass and finished the chapter up a day or two early for you guys. Things will becoming to a head and again, trust me. I've got this planned out in a way you all will love. I've yet to fail you guys with this story and believe me, I honestly think you'll enjoy it. And now, we begin the final battle between Khyron and the Allies. Enjoy and please please please, everyone that reads this, drop a review. Don't care if it's a two word one or a long one. Please review! Takes like ten seconds!**

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Chapter 23 To Battle Part One

Rick looked skeptically at Max as he listened to the updated battleplan. He had to admit, it would work wonders for them as he seriously doubted Khyron would even anticipate this idea.

"This is batshit insane."

Roy smirked at his brother. He'd anticipated that statement as Admiral Gloval just shook his head, amused. But knowing Rick, he'd agree to the idea. And he didn't disappoint.

"But, it's a good kind of insane." He sighed and looked to Roy. "The sight of a human-Zentradi baby will definitely freak them out. Especially if they bought the bull crap Dolza was popping off about Protoculture weapons. I'm surprised Max is agreeing to it."

Said man just gave a tired sigh and a shrug, meaning he had already weighed the pros and cons about the idea.

"Max and I have discussed it in great detail." Miriya assured Rick, little Dana napping away in her sure grip. "While neither of us like the idea of putting our baby at risk, the success would mean one less threat to her in the future."

"Or so we hope." Rick muttered before giving a resigned sigh and turning his gaze to Max as the man waited to hear what Rick had to say. "Look, I'm not her parent. I have no say in this. If you two are sure about it, we'll do it. I just hope Lisa doesn't kill me for going along with it. You know she's going to hate this idea."

The Admiral nodded to Roy as the man stepped back from the podium and the Admiral took his place, eyeing his command level officer that would be taking part in the attack with a critical eye. "This will be dangerous, but we must succeed. Doctor Lang assures me the lead of the Tristars will launch ahead of schedule since we are no longer sitting on our collective back ends and waiting on the development of her more advanced systems that have been holding up construction."

"Not to mention all the resource we redirected after the destruction of the SDF-2." Emmerson commented tiredly. "Still, she'll be ready in time to launch our attack in three months. Should help us to even the odds to our favor."

"And even if Khyron tires to send an attack fleet to hit while we're going after the factory, we'll have more than enough to repel his forces." Roy commented, checking the datapad in his hand. "He has maybe five thousand ships at his command, so he'll probably leave the bulk to defend the station and send the rest to hit Earth. Add in the HAMMER Grid and it's upgrades and it would be pretty much suicide to attack us."

Emmerson nodded before he spoke a question that had been on everyone's mind. "Speaking of the ugly bastard, have they figured out how that ship managed to bypass the orbital defenses?"

"One of the crashed ships that wasn't too banged up." Roy answered, dropping into his seat at the briefing table with a pained groan as his right leg began to ache. "Apparently they managed to get it repaired enough and Big K decided to use it to spread his version of Christmas Cheer. Still trying to get an accurate causality count. Sad thing is, a lot of them were children in line to see the Santa Bombers. I'd almost swear he was taking lessons from those fanatics a few years back in the middle east."

"So our plan is to fold in to Alpha Centurai, slap the enemy fleet across the face, and then once we board, Skull will escort the Sterlings with help from Colonel Mattis and his Marines to the control center so they can show off baby Dana to the in-laws." Rick chuckled as he looked Gloval. "Sounds like another day at the office."

Gloval opened his mouth to speak before an aide rushed into the room, every eye turned to the young Ensign Graham. "Sir! We've got a problem."

Rick watched as her eyes turned to him and saw her sorrow, feeling his stomach drop out of him as his veins went to ice. Gloval stared at the young woman with worry on his features. "What has happened?"

"Captain Hunter has gone missing."

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Lisa sighed once more as she stamped her approval on the final documents, transferring all remaining supplies and personnel to the orbital ship yards from the SDF-2's construction. Her pending command was not nothing more than a giant pile of scrap that had been recovered from the bottom of Lake Gloval. Some of the crews had been moved to effect repairs to the SDF-1, but it looked like the final battle had been the death blow to her. Even Emil Lang was doubtful they'd be able to fully repair her. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. So many power relays and control systems had blown that it would be too costly for them to completely repair the once proud fortress. It was saddening really. She placed the final document in her outbox and gave a stretch, feeling her joints pop and her muscles relax. It had been a stressful week for all of them. "Mom!"

Well, not all of them. She smiled over at her daughter as she bounced around in the play pen Lisa had set up in her office for the days when a babysitter couldn't be found. Little Kaylee was smiling at her and Lisa felt that she could managed the stress from this past week. She scooped her daughter up into her arms and kissed her forehead much to the child amusement. The young mother smiled.

"Time to go home little one." Lisa remarked, grabbing the diaper bag from her spare chair.

She made her way to the office door when it flew open and Lisa instinctively turned her body to shield Kaylee from whatever threat had kicked her door in. Her eyes went wide as she saw a familiar man walk in, grinning darkly with a pistol raised. "Greetings Captain Hunter. Khyron would be most pleased if you'd join him in a rather interesting discussion."

Her eyes hardened as four more men entered her office, all that held distinctive Zentradi features. "You're the second mole."

Raven smirked at her.

"Please don't bother trying to tie us up any longer." He remarked in a pleasant tone. "Your security has been dealt with. Now, come along quietly."

"And if I refuse?"

"I shoot your child." He stated simply as a dark smirk crossed his face. "Such an adorable little girl. Surly you'd like for her to reach maturity correct?"

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T.R. Looked over the bodies in silence as his men were tearing through every bit of camera footage to find out just what happened here. Beside him stood General Maistroff pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is a train wreck."

"I agree with you there General. But why? Why would anyone take Captain Hunter and her child?" Edwards pondered, his brow furrowed in thought. "Whoever it was though was skilled, that's for sure. Twenty armed guards shot point blank to the dome. Professionally done."

"Still, we need to find them and fast." Maistroff remarked. "Hunter will go through the roof once he finds out."

"Or he'll go rogue to track them down." Edwards stated as a matter of fact. "It's what I would do if I were him."

"Sirs!"

Both men turned to one of the intelligence men who looked at them with unease. Edwards raised an eyebrow. "Yes Sergeant. What have you found?"

He looked grimly at Edwards. "You're not going to like it."

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"Welcome Micronian." Khyron sneered as he looked down at Lisa in the cell. "I do hope these accommodations are to your liking."

Lisa glared up at him as Kylee just stared at the man before pointing at him. "Mom. Bad."

Khyrin stared in revulsion and took a step back from the cell door.

"Your spawn speaks?!" He glared at her. "Just when I thought you beings couldn't disgust me any further."

Lisa just kept her glare at the crazed Zentradi as he looked revolted by Kaylee's presence.

"You're a dead man when Rick finds you." She stated, her tone harsh. "As is your little friend that betrayed us."

"So confident about your mate are you?" Khyron challenged, crossing his arms. "Don't worry, I am counting on him coming for you. And when he does, I shall enjoy watching his torment as I space you and your spawn."

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Rick snarled in rage as Roy, Ben, Max, and Pop tried desperately to hold him back from ripping the man before them to pieces. The man, Marcus 'Raven' Sanders just sneered at him as his now broken nose leaked blood from it. Rick had managed to hit the smug bastard before the four could restrain him. The only reason why they stopped him was Sanders had information they needed. "Where are they?"

The man's black eyes seemed to bore right into Rick's, the evil smirk never leaving it. "With my master."

Rick struggled to break free from his friends and father's grip to reach the man. To kill. But his friends and family weren't willing to let him. Not yet. They'd only caught him by sheer luck as he tried to meet up with a hidden Zentradi stealth ship that had managed to get clear from Earth before they could even track it. After all, it had remained hidden for nearly three years now on the surface of the planet. Gloval stormed into the room and took one long harsh look at Raven before he spoke. "Admiral Fokker, take Captain Hunter to the briefing room. I'll be there shortly."

Roy gave a sharp nod and sent one final glare at Raven before he and the rest of the guys pulled a fighting Rick from the office as he screamed he would kill Marcus and Khyron both. Henry looked into the crazed eyes of the man before him.

"So. You've betrayed us." Henry remarked simply. "You sold out a wife and her daughter to a monster. Why?"

"For revenge." Marcus knew he would die in this room. He knew his end was near. But he didn't care. He'd gotten his sweet revenge against the world that turned their backs on him in favor of the aliens that massacred billions of innocents. Most of all, he finally got his revenge against Rick Hunter. Henry nodded and slowly pulled an old pistol from his pocket, cold fury in his eyes.

"This pistol is a very special thing to me." Henry remarked, eyeing the weapon with respect. "It is my father's Nagant M1895 he carried into combat against the Nazi war machine late in the second world war. He was only a boy when he rose to the call for defenders of our motherland. He did it for duty to his country. He killed many a traitors with this weapon. One who had sold out his mother and brothers to the Germans even fell to this pistol. He told me, 'Henry, there was no sweeter feeling to me then avenging the lose of my family'."

He paused and popped the cylinder open and inspecting the seven rounds sitting and ready. With a skillful flick of his wrist, Henry closed the weapon back up and cocked the hammer on the pistol. "It is a family heirloom to be honest. And I find it fitting to use here today. Commander Marcus Sanders, for acts of treason against the United Earth Government and the willful endangerment of a superior Officer, along with her child, I find you guilty."

Raven turned to the barrel and leaned as far forward as he could, still grinning, crazed. "You don't have the guts to pull that trigger old man."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But you made one very big mistake. One that has been repeated over the centuries." Henry's gaze became murderous. "You've angered the Russian Bear. And now it comes to maul you."

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Roy froze as he heard the pistol report and the loud scream from the room. "Pop, hold him!"

Mitchel grabbed a still fury filled Rick and held tightly as Roy, Ben, and Max took off back to the room. When they entered, they saw Raven screaming in pain from the new bullet wound in his shoulder while Admiral Gloval lowered his smoking pistol before he spat, actually spat, at the man. "You are lucky I do not think you worthy of the honor to fall before the barrel of this gun!"

Gloval turned to Roy, his expression still murderous.

"Get him out of my sight before I let Captain Hunter do as he so dearly wishes."

Roy swore to himself that he would never anger the Admiral to the extent Raven had. With a casual, yet disgusted glance at Raven, he walked out of the room and signaled the guards to take the traitor away. Roy really didn't care if he bled to death or not.

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"We need to get them back!" Rick seethed as he paced the office. Henry watched with dead eyes, full agreement in what Rick was saying. He too felt cold fury in his heart as he too wanted to rush out and find them. But that was the problem. They had no idea just where Khyron had spirited them away to. Breetai had been incensed that his men hadn't been able to track the stealth cruiser and took it as a direct insult that Khyron had now twice managed to bypass him and strike at his friends. The angered rant was cut short by the enraged face of Breetai appearing on the main communications panel.

"Admiral. We are receiving a hail." He growled. "It is from Khyron. He wishes to speak with you directly."

"Have you begun tracing it?"

"There is no need to." Breetai spat out. "The arrogant fool is broadcasting from the factory."

Henry gave a sharp nod and Breetai vanished only to be replaced moments later by the sneering face of Khyron. _"Admiral Gloval. Such a pleasure to see your miserable face."_

"On the contrary Khyron." Henry spat, venom filling his voice. "The disgust is all mine, I assure you."

 _"Oh such a venomous tone!"_ Khyron chuckled. _"And here I am, allowing you to see your beloved Captain and her disgusting spawn! I see the Red Devil is with you. I do hope your are distressed Captain."_

"You're a dead man Khyron." Rick snarled, slamming both hands on the desk, his blue eyes a harsh steel blue as the rage burned behind them. "I will kill you!"

Khyron on smirked harshly as he looked to Rick. _"Is that so? As much as I would enjoy trading threats with you, I am actually contacting you for a parlay."_

"You don't know the meaning of the word Khyron." Henry countered harshly. "You are using hostages."

 _"It seemed a good way for you to take me seriously."_ The crazed man just shrugged before he spoke. _"My offer for the safe return of your lovely Captain and her child is simple. You allow me to take the Fortress and leave with out incident from your solar system and I will return them to you, both unharmed. You have my word."_

"Forgive me if that doesn't convince me." Henry retorted with sarcasm. "I make a counter proposal. You release Captain Hayes and the Child immediately and I won't mount your head above my fireplace."

Khyron just smirked before the camera switched to show Lisa trying to keep Kaylee entertained as they sat in a bare cell, the young mother trying her best not to let her own worry and fear show. Rick gave a snarl and his nails began digging into the wood if Henry's desk while the Russian narrowed his eyes, his own anger bubbling to the surface. _"Quaint Admiral. You have four days to give into my demands. If you don't, I will eject the whole cell block into space. I've always been curious as to what a Micronian will look like when exposed to a hard vacuum. Perhaps the spawn will simply implode. Could be informative. Four days Admiral. Then I shall kill them. Ta ta."_

The com shut off and Breetai reappeared. "My ships stand ready to leave at once."

"Not with out me." Rick growled. "I'm going to kill him."

Gloval rubbed his eyes before he turned to Roy, who'd been listening.

"Sound the alert. You leave in three hours." Admiral Gloval gave a tired sigh. "We're out of time."

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Roy watched as his men rushed to load the supplies onto the transports, Veritechs taking to the air by the dozens as they headed toward their assigned points. It was one hell of a risk and they were leaving well before they were ready to, but Khyron had forced their hand. They needed everything to stand a chance. To rescue Lisa and the baby, they would need to take the factory. Which meant launching now. Instead of the original plan of waiting for the Tristar to complete enough to use, Breetai's Flagship would be the main punch. In orbit, near one hundred and twenty human warships took their places with in the fleet formation. His own flag would be planted on the Relentless, one of the dozens of Banshees that were ready for combat. Mentally reviewing the ships participating, Roy sighed. Fifty Banshee Cruisers, twenty-eight ARMD heavy destroyers and forty-two Oberth missile frigates. The whole of the human fleet was being committed to the coming action and would be supported by two thousand Zentradi Warships. Even with the extra muscle, it would be one heck of a fight. He heard the sounds of heels and turned to see the worried Claudia Fokker making her way to him. He tired to smile as he looked to her. "Hey Kid. Come to see me off?"

Claudia paused and her expression became one of nervousness. "Kinda. Roy, I...well I have something to tell you that can't wait."

Roy checked his watch before looking back at the crews as they loaded the last of the ordinance.

"I've got five minutes before I have to leave Claudia." He cocked and eyebrow. "You sure it can't wait?"

"Positive." She took a deep breath before giving him a bright smile. "Which is what the test came back as. We're pregnant."

Roy froze, his expression of pure shock looked so out of place on his face that Claudia couldn't help but laugh. Slowly, he stepped closer to her. "You're sure?"

She nodded her head as he pulled her to his chest. "Jean checked this morning."

"Well then. I'm glad you told me!" Roy pulled back and grinned. "I guess I'll need to make sure I come back huh?"

Claudia kissed him, deeply as a crew chief made his way to Roy, a grim look on his face. The two pulled apart as Roy smiled like a goof and Claudia looked at him with worry. "You better come back to me Roy Fokker. Come back to us."

He looked to her, all humor gone and replaced by a serious look that took her breath away.

"I promise." He looked to the crew chief.

"Sir, it's time to go."

Roy nodded and gave Claudia one last kiss and hug before turning to leave. "I'll come back Claudia. I promise."

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Rick double checked his status display, cool determination filling him as Skull One thrummed with power, her whole being seeming like a race horse at the gates. He took a look out of his cockpit as Vince gave him a thumbs up and hustled away from the line as Rick called into flight Control.

"Control, this is Skull One. Requesting take off clearance." Rick watched as Rapier took to the skies on Runway 04, afterburners glowing with power as they climbed rapidly to the stars. He didn't need to wait long before a serious faced Sammie came on the screen.

"Skull One, clearance granted to Runway Zero Four." Her face contorted in fury as she spoke her next statement. "Make that bastard pay Captain."

"I intend to. Skull Squadron cleared for Runway Zero Four."

Skull One's engines hummed with power as she rolled her way to the starting line for the Runway, her intakes whining and her whole frame shaking as Rick taped the pedals to line her up properly before disabling the steering on it. He checked his mirrors to see the rest of Skull formed up behind him, ready to go. Rick shoved the throttle forward, feeling Skull One dip forward on her forward nose gear before Rick released the brakes, her engines letting out a deep throaty roar as she moved forward, picking up speed rapidly. Pushing the throttle control that extra half inch forward, the mighty Skull One lurched forward as her burners kicked in, Rick tapping the yaw pedals to keep her going straight as her left engine kicked into afterburner a split second before the right and with in moments, he and his squadron where airborne, their noses pointed to the navpoint. Rick took a look at the small photo he had tapped to his console, the one from two days prior to the Christmas Eve attack. His eyes narrowed as he looked ahead, the sky becoming more purple as they rapidly broke through the cloud bank, flashing past thirty five thousand feet. "I'm on my way."

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Max looked out of his cockpit as Miriya watched him with an anguished face, unable to join them as she was no where near cleared for return to active flight status. He kissed his fingers and pressed them against his canopy glass as he watched her tears fall. Little Dana was crying in Miriya's arms, her little hands reaching out to him. The young father, fighting back his own tears, throttled his plane forward and Miriya watched as the dark blue veritech rumbled away and wiped her eyes as Dana began crying, not understanding what was going on or why her father was leaving. Miriya kissed her daughter's forehead and watched as Vermilion took positions before launching into the sky. "Be safe my love. Come home to us."

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Ben checked his flight status as he and his team joined formation with the rest of the human fighters. It was awe inspiring as they made their way towards the center of the fleet, passing by the fresh and untouched hulls of the Human built ships and the scared and pockmarked ones of the Zentradi Fleet going into battle with them. His com line kicked on and the face of Knight Two appeared, Sarah's face set in a grim look. _"So this is it huh? The endgame."_

"Yes." Ben remarked just as grimly as she did. "It's all or nothing now."

 _"You think we'll come through this?"_ She asked worriedly, her green eyes locked onto his.

"I hope so Deadbolt." Ben sighed. "I really do. Khyron's recent actions have forced our hand."

Sarah hummed in agreement before a smile graced her lips and her cheeks seemed to redden. _"Hey Bruiser. I know this is a bad time but uh...will you marry me?"_

Ben did a double take at the screen and opened his mouth before snapping it shut, his men laughing over the open com line. Sarah just gave an apologetic smile but looked like she was serious. "Can't that question wait?"

Sarah gave a musical laugh before she shook her head and Ben sighed before he smiled.

"I thought it was supposed to be the guy who asked."

 _"I'm a strong, independent woman Benjamin. It is acceptable in this modern day."_ She teased. _"That and I'm getting tired of waiting for you to ask me."_

Ben snorted and shook his head before he gave her a real smile, one she loved so dearly. "Alright you troublesome woman. I'll marry you once we get through this."

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Roy clasped his hands behind his back as he watched the tactical display, watching as green lights flicked on as each ship under his and Breetai's joint command checked in. Around his bridge, his crew hurried about, triple checking all of the systems and finishing final checks for departure. Beside him stood Colonel Edwards, his own gaze locked on the display board. "You know, the council is going to go nova about this."

Roy snorted. "They can bitch all they want. Admiral Gloval has final authority over the fleet."

"While I admit this may be rushed, I also agree that we need to do this." Edwards commented. "Khyron has been too much of a thorn in our sides. I don't know about you, but I'm damned tired of looking over my shoulder for him."

"Took the words right from my mouth." Roy muttered as the final few status lights blazed green. "Looks like the show is about to begin. Communications, give me fleet wide."

The young ensign nodded and tapped a few of his controls before signaling Roy. "You're on sir.

"Attention, all ships. This is Rear Admiral Fokker." He paused and took a breath. "Many of you probably feel we are jumping the gun by attacking now. And you're all right. And you're all wrong. Khyron is a threat that we WILL remove today! He has attacked our world, killed our friends and families, and has now made the foolish mistake of taking one of our own to use a leverage! He has taken a young mother and her child! For too long, we have been on the defensive. We've been reacting to him. He has power over us. But not anymore. Today, we head to battle to remove a being who has shown no remorse or pity. And we shall give him and his men no quarter! We will fight! We will win! And we WILL return to Earth, The Victors, no longer the victims! Let's go get that son of a bitch!"

Roy finished his speech, panting as his emotions flared all over the place. Edwards gave an approving nod. "Well said."

"Thanks." Roy muttered, wincing as his leg decided to give a pained throb. "Damn leg."

"Sir, Commander Breetai sends his regards and his approval to your words." The Ensign reported. "All ships are ready to commence fold at your orders."

Roy looked back to the tactical display and sighed. "Well, let's let slip the dogs of war. Execute fold."

Space around the mighty fleet twisted and boiled as the sheer number of fold spheres engulfed every ship in the formation. The human ships, still lacking fold dives, slipped closer to the larger allied vessels while Fighters remained in place as the very fabric of space seemed to ripe wide under the sheer power from that many fold spheres. With in minutes, he bright light flared before fading from view and every ship in the fleet no longer in sight. The reaming three thousand Zentradi ships diligently sailed through the blackness of space like predators, waiting for someone foolish enough to try to attack the world they now called home.

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Grel looked calmly to Kyhron, despite his instincts screaming at him that this would be the last days of their existence. Kyhron seemed sure of his victory, but Grel had doubts. But he would see through his duty to his commander to the bitter end. "The allied fleet has launched My Lord. Estimated time to arrival is one hour."

"Good. Good." Khyron smiled. "Our ships are in position and ready, yes?"

"Yes my lord. All squadrons stand ready to commence attack once they defold."

Khyron nodded his head happily. "Then this will be our most glorious battle. Once we defeat these pests, we shall burn their world till it's surface is but glass. And not even their Devil will live to creep about."

"Sir, I still think we should have sent an attack fleet to Earth." Grel commented, his disappointment in his Commanders casual dismissal of his counter plan. "This is a dangerous plan of committing all of our resources to this fight."

"While that is true, they are expecting such a tactic." Khyron countered, a harsh look on his face. "Worry not my friend, they will fall here. Then we will strike at Earth."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dozens of fold spheres flared into existence and the Allied Fleet faded into view. Before them, over five thousand ships waited. Roy looked over the display before he began giving his orders. "All ships, maintain formation, ahead one half."

"This is going to be hell of a fight." Edwards grinned and clasped Roy's shoulders. "Thanks for letting me tag along to see this!"

"Wouldn't want you to feel left out Colonel." Roy smirked before he went back to his task. "All weapons to full. Stand by fleet wide barrage. I want all ships slaved for firing solutions. Fighters, break off at max speed after first salvo. Clear my firing lane."

The men and woman were already fast at work as they began to rapidly approach the enemy fleet. The allies weapons began to glow ominous blues and reds across the fleet and missiles were loaded into their launchers, ready to fire. Fighters began forming into attack wings and began flying at oblique angles from the flagship. Edwards smirked as he look at the display. "Think they know their screwed yet?"

"Not a chance."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sir! Power surges detected among the enemy fleet!" The sensor officer reported. "They intend to fire!"

Khyron went wide eyed and turned to the warrior. "At the station?!"

They were mad if they intended to blast the station from existence with the Micronian female and spawn on board.

"No sir! They are targeting our fleet."

"What are they planning?" Khyron mused as he looked back to his display. 400,000 Kilometers. "They can not have an accurate target solution at that distance. The only weapon that could is a reflex cannon and none of their ships are large enough to carry one."

"Enemy fleet firing!"

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Lances of blues and reds tore from the bows of the allied fleet as they opened fire. The leading ships of the enemy ships shuddered under the hellish onslaught, some targeted by a dozen beams to make up for the larger distance. One unfortunate Zed cruiser found itself with a completely melted bow structure as sixteen ZNPC-01 particle/Laser cannons slammed full force into her. The wounded ships began bubbling as munitions in the bow exploded under the intense heat from the concentrated blasts. The main batteries on the Allied Zentradi fleet were not found lacking either as the smaller tonnage vessels triple teamed targets, ships falling under the concentrated blasts quickly. Not to be outdone by their larger friends, the ARMDs let loose with their own deadly weapons, bright yellowish orange beams of energy sliced through space and cored several hostile ships as missiles streaked off towards the enemy fleet, both warhawk and reflex, and slamming into hulls. Several Zentradi Cruisers were latterly spun out of formation, superstructures failing as they hull stress was outside the tolerance they were designed to handle. Oberths, feeling left out, brought the 400mms mounted on them to bare and opened up. Some shots missed cleanly, but most managed to hit their targets. A energetic cruiser took five blasts to her port and began to roll on her axis and towards another ship before a full alpha strike from Breetai's flagship shattered it's hull. The Allied fleet continued forwards, guns flashing furiously as they entered the range of the enemy guns, near eight hundred enemy ships now nothing more than burning hulks.

The enemy return fire, admittedly much greater in volume, slammed into the approaching allied fleet. Dozens of ships, Zentradi and human alike, were destroyed or mission killed. One Cruiser, her very bones exposed to space, rolled lazily into three Human ships moving up to cover her flanks. All four vessels went up as the reflex furnace at the heart of the beast finally went. Roy's own command shuddered as several concentrated salvos splashed against her armored hull. The Relentless fired her guns in distance as they slipped into the maximum effective range of her secondary batteries. "All ships, Helter Skelter. Break at Flank!"

Engines flared brilliantly as the fleet began to split into predesignated squadrons and seemed to zero themselves on random headings. The Relentless stuck close to Breetai's flag ship as her mighty weapons pounded away, blowing holes in armor and swatting pods and fighters from the sky as she barreled ahead, undaunted by the few thousand ship sitting in front of her. The Relentless let loose a pair of the modified Reflex Missiles that screamed in at the Monster sitting center in the enemy fleet. He recognized it as the one that rammed the _Ticonderoga_ months ago. Roy's eyes narrowed as he watched the spent rocket motor pop open and near eighty warheads ignited their chemical reactants as the sped off towards the giant. The explosions looked so small compared to the actually destructive yield in them. This could get interesting. "Send to the _Excelsior, Hornet,_ and the _Yamato._ Target one alpha. Full missile barrage."

Three Oberths came along a new heading, their 400mms spinning to front as they changed targets to the beast that lurked among them. Along their hull, hatches opened slowly and huge plumes of steam flash froze as it was sucked form the rubes. Inside the tubes, a massive blast of superheated steam propelled the missiles from their tubes and the RCS thrusters fired, putting them on the right heading before the over sized motors on their bottoms ignited. Fifty-four heavily modified missiles tore through space at speeds in excess of fifteen gees of acceleration. Blue laser fire reach up at them, but the spoofing system built into the casing caused the shots to fall short. The engines cut out and the sides popped clear, expelling forty smaller missiles that ignited, screaming at the giant. Thinking the now spent stages were no longer a threat, the defense batteries spun to life, trying in vain to track and shoot down the incoming ordinance. The three Oberths opened fire with their cannons, peppering the massive hulk to keep it's attention split between the smaller missiles and the ships just pissing it off. Near a dozen smaller missiles were swatted from the stars before the dismissed spent stages rammed home. In the nose of each missile was a warhead that was comparable to the Tsar bomb dropped by the Russians in the early years of the Cold War on Earth. Fifty-four fifty plus megaton detonations enveloped the beast in a bright explosions. When they cleared, the giant ship was missing near a quarter of it's previous mass as giant rents in the hull, well what was left of the hull plates at any rate, spewed smoke and gas as plasma fires began melting at the hull armor, destroying the interior as she seemed to list to starboard from the force of the impacts.

"Fleet status!" Roy barked.

"Six hundred allied ships are down sir! Fighter squadrons had managed to eliminate near forty percent of the enemy single ships but have suffered twenty percent casualties."

Roy scowled. He knew this would be costly. They were giving as well as they got, but this was a battle of attrition. They needed to get Khyron and get him fast. "Have the transports made it?"

Early in the fight, the Transports had gone dark and slipped past the enemy fleet under inertia alone. It had been one hell of a gambit but Breetai had been correct that they'd only be seen as debris once the fighting started.

"Yes sir! Colonel Mattis has reported stiff resistance in the docking rings."

"Order Skull and Rapier to commence boarding action." Roy ordered.

"Sir! Our left flank is beginning to crumble!"

Roy pulled up the tactical display and looked over it carefully. Khyron had gotten smart. They'd taken most of their early casualties to their left flank during the opening battle. It hadn't been too much of an issue until now when the fleet was trying to reform and place itself between the station and the enemy fleet that had managed to turn around. "Helm, ahead flank. Get us in place to plug that hole. Com, let Breetai know he has the center. And warn Captain Reynolds to keep his eyes open. Zeds are trying to flank us."

Colonel Edwards grimaced as the Relentless was rocked by another attack and gripped the hand rail before him.

"Well this is fun." He muttered as another friendly vessel went up in a massive explosion.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breetai smirked as another blast rocked his ship. Sixty-two enemy cruisers were making a run at the center of the fleet. They were trying to break their formation. They would fail. "Let's greet our friends. Initiate Nightfall!"

Nightfall was a very dangerous gambit. Originally conceived by Exedore and Doctor Lang, it was a careful manipulation of the drive system to create a hole in the fabric of space that would pull anything with in it's sphere of influence to pieces. The plan was risky as there was a fairly good chance his own systems would overload and the ships reactor would implode. And that would end Breetai. But at this point, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The mighty flagship took on a ghostly blue color as what looked like tendrils of energy flowed from her, coming together only a few miles from the approaching ships. Space began to twist and ripple as the primal energies of existence itself were manipulated. Just as the enemy ships crossed the epicenter, a massive blue sphere of boiling fold energy flared to life and just as quickly, it collapsed. Of the Sixty ships that had been there moments ago, only one or two managed to survive. If you called having your ship losing half of it's mass in a matter of seconds surviving. In the Command Center, Breetai looked around him as the primary power cut off and the back ups activated mere seconds afterwards. "Report."

"Primary energizers overloaded. We are on back ups." His officer reported grimly. Breetai sighed.

"We knew it would only be one shot. Do we still have weapons?"

"Partial. Forward batteries are down, but we have full port and dorsal."

Breetai exhaled and smiled grimly. "Perhaps today is a good day to die. Present our remaining weapons and hold position. No one get's past us."

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"My Lord, the fleet is holding. But Micronian forces have boarded in the main docking rings and the hanger. The Red Devil is leading the charge from the Hangers." Grel looked his his commander with curiosity to see how he would respond. The Fleet was actually barely holding as the Micronians were laying waste to many of their numbers with their impressive missiles. Not too mention Breetai's ships were dealing much more damage then they should have been. Khyron smirked and rose to his feet.

"It is time to welcome my guest of honor." He remarked. "Grel, go to the holding cell. Once the Red Devil has been beaten, I will drag him and his infernal machine into the cell so he can watch as his precious family is sucked into space before his very eyes. Then...I shall have my full revenge."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy coughed as his bridge filled with smoke and flames. Damage control teams were spraying the flames with the extinguishers while Medical Teams were working on getting his wounded crew to medical. His ship shudder and he quickly grabbed the hand rail in front of him. Colonel Edwards had leapt the railing to man the weapons console after the young Lieutenant had been blasted across the deck, landing with her neck bent at an unnatural angle. "Report!"

"Weapons are down. Missiles have been expended." Edwards reported as he wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead. "Hull breeches on multiple decks. We've got blown power relays every where. Engineering is filling with toxic coolant. And we've lost port maneuvering thrusters. Armor is looking more and more like a happy memory than a fact."

"What do we have that's working?" Roy demanded, pulling up his own diagnostic screen and winced at how much of his ships was showing an angry red.

"Point defenses and our main engines." Edwards cough and wiped blood from his mouth. He knew he had internal bleeding as they took a full core detonation not even a quarter mile from them. He'd been flung into the bulk head with a sickening crunch and he felt several of his ribs shatter. "We need to abandon ship sir!"

Roy looked at his tactical display, his left arm hanging uselessly to his side. The Relentless needed to remain where she was otherwise, their left flank would collapse. And with the auto target off line, someone would have to remain behind to keep her guns firing. He had one particle beam array left to him. He closed his eyes and whispered for Claudia to forgive him before he rose to his full height. "Alright then. Began the evacuations. Edwards, make sure our people get out of here."

"Excuse me?" The man blinked in confusion. "What about you?"

"Someone needs to stay and man the remaining weapons. My ship. My crew. My responsibility."

Edwards looked like he wanted to argue but sighed. Roy was pleased that he gave in so easily to what he had said. They didn't have time to argue and Roy made his way to the console, but stopped as Edwards passed him. "Thank you Colonel."

"You won't be thanking me soon Admiral." Edwards smirked before he moved.

Roy grunted as he felt the wind knocked from him. _'What the hell?!'_

"You're leaving this ship Admiral." Edwards looked at a winded Roy as the blonde man looked up at him in shock. "Sorry about this. Oh, and tell Hunter he owes me two now."

Roy dropped to the deck from the hay maker he was hit with and the Colonel looked to the stunned Marines. "Get the Admiral to the escape pod. Move it Marines!"

He watched as the two Marines grabbed the unconscious man and quickly exited the still smoke filled bridge and Edwards turned his lone eye back to the main display as the ship was once more rocked by an explosions. "You got lucky Hunter. At least I'll die knowing you are forever in my debt. Guess that'll do in place of your life. You'd better win this thing or I'll kick your ass in hell."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick and his team hurtled down the corridor, a feeling of uneasy filling him as they went. They had yet to run into a single Zentradi Soldier. That was odd as the Marines that had boarded on the docking ring had reported heavy resistance. One lance was already heading to meet up with them in the large assembly room they were coming up to. "Stackes, you in position yet?"

The image of Master Sergeant Pete 'Stackes' Stacker appeared, looking grim as his southern drawl come in clear as if the man was in right in front of him. "That's a negative Knight. Looks like the Zeds have decided to throw us a welcoming party. We-hang on."

Rick couldn't tell what was going on but the bright flash on the screen clued him in that Stackes had used his flamethrowers. "Sorry bout that sir. Need to discourage the curious for a second. They're pretty hell bent on stopping us from getting to our rally point. And-Get your ass back down!"

Another flash followed two muffled thumps. 25Mms. "Gotta give um credit. They are a determined bunch."

"Alright Stackes. Do what you can. We'll hold at the Rally point until you arrive." Rick radioed as they made it to the final hatch before the main assembly room. Not far from here was the prison cells where Lisa and Kaylee were held. He was close to his family. That much was certain.

"Copy that sir. Gotta get back to the barbecue. You know no one can roast meat like a Texan!"

Rick just shook his head at the now blank screen as Skull One pressed it's back against the door, gun pod held at the ready. "Alright. We breech on three."

The other two veritechs readied themselves as Rick gave the count. They quickly darted into the room and froze. Rick looked with wide eyes before he heard a clap from the catwalks. He snarled as he spotted an amused looking Khyron slowly clapping. "Welcome Captain Hunter. So good of you to come so quickly."

"I'm going to enjoy killing you Khyron." He seethed as his finger hovered over the trigger.

"I'm sure you would." Khyron smirked. "Though I am disappointed you only brought two additional worms to face me."

"Trust me, I only need two to handle you and your little circle jerk you have going on here." Rick retorted, eyes never leaving Khyron as his two squadron mates took firing positions to his left and right. Khyron seemed amused.

"You are confident. I respect that." Khyron stated as he rested his hands on the railing and his eyes seemed to study the Veritech before him. "But I have won. Your fleet is out numbered. Your boarding teams are pinned down. And you have just walked into a room filled with warriors ready to kill you. Where in that factual story do you think you can win? Because of your vaunted 'love'?"

Khyron shook his head as if correcting a child. "You've failed here Captain. After I kill you, I will make sure to eat your offspring in front of your mate. Then...well I think I will pull her apart. Her anguished screams will sound exquisite"

Ricks eyes narrowed and red began to tint his vision as Skull One took a step forward, gun pod clenched tightly in her hands, a harsh and cold growl issuing from him. "I won't leave enough of you for them to identify."

"You failed to bring enough warriors to this battle Micronian." Khyron sneered, standing confidently on the catwalk over the assembly room. His gaze never left the three Human Veritechs standing just inside the pressure doors. Before the three, were close to sixty Zentradi soldiers, all baring their teeth in dark grins. Rick looked around and tensed his body as Skull One seemed to hum with pent up rage, ready to leap into the fray at her pilot's command.

"And you failed to bring enough coffins." Rick snarled in reply before Skull One became a blur of motion. The battle for the Factory had only just begun!

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 **A/N: Alright, so I had half of this written when I uploaded Chapter 22 earlier and as I said, I hate making you guys wait days for an update. That last bit of dialogue I actually came across from a Fallout New Vegas Meme. It just fit so damn perfect I had to use it. Now this chapter focused more on the ship to ship engagement and the harsh realities of War on families. Next chapter will deal with a combination of the fighter battle and the boarding action of the Marines. Haven't yet decided if I'll show the Assembly room fight in the next chapter or the one after. All I can say is that Alight is approaching it's powerful conclusion in the next three chapters. Been one hell of a wild ride huh guys? But stay with me because we ain't done yet! Also, little depressed no one found the Gloval-Santa scene as funny as I did...**


	24. Chapter 24 To Battle part Two

**A/N: Curses! The last few chapters are flowing too fast! This will be the last update til sunday at the earliest. We have two more to go! Oh say it ain't so! Anyway, glad to see all of you liked the rather good twist. As for where I got the name Raven...in the RoboTech comic books, he was a turncoat pilot working with Khyron and was actually in Rick's Squadron. Anyway, this is the final part of the battle. Enjoy and drop a review!**

* * *

Chapter 24 To Battle part Two

 **Warning: Graphic Violence in this chapter. War ain't pretty.**

Rick throttled forward as soon as they finished defolding, his engines thrumming as Skull, Rapier, Red, Yellow, and Blue formed around him and his men. He clenched his jaw as his icy blue eyes swept over the enemy fleet in front of him His com beeped at him and he read the orders quickly before opening the squadron leader channel that would give him a line to the other leader. "Alright Boys and Girls, let's get this over with. Move into position two and stand by to light these bastards up!"

 _"Dress Rehearsal for hell!"_ Ben laughed as the Black Knights, Vermilion, Gold, and the Vigilantes all formed together and moving to the left of the enemy fleet while Rick was going right. Filling the gaps they left where the Allied singleships, a massive cloud of pods and fighters of every type and make Rick had faced in combat. Rick was concentrating on his flight path as he cut under one of the ARMDs as her forward bow began to glow with a hellish yellow and her tubes were opening in preparation to fire. All around the fighters, the massive warships moved forward at one half their max speed, engines glowing a whole slew of colors from cool blue to bright magenta as they drew closer to the enemy fleet.

"Good hunting guys." Rick muttered as his com snapped over showing Max and Ben side by side. "You two ready to get this done?"

 _"You bet Skipper! It feels damned odd to fly with out Miri on my wing."_ Max smirked as he glanced at Ben in his own display. _"Ben's lucky his lady is flying with him."_

 _"Yeah well, let's focus on getting Captain Hunter back from Big K._ " Ben commented, his face serious as they fleet opened fire. It was a breath taking display from their positions as the blue, red, yellow, and orange energy beams and particle cannon fire streaked off into the blackness of space. Rick watched in awe as the whole side of a Banshee became obscured in fire and smoke along with her ventral surface as hundreds of missiles flew off towards their targets. They didn't even need to strain their eyes to see the spectacular impacts. Hundreds of flashes from the explosions lit up the enemy fleet . Rick banked his fighter under an Oberth as her 400mm guns flashed in the silence of space. It was surreal to see the mighty naval guns fire but not hear the earth rattling boom that accompanied them.

Rick activated Skull's main link as the text scrolled across his screen, giving him real time status updates. "Skull, shove it to the firewall. We are weapons free!"

Skull One shot off, her engines burning brightly as the rest of the Squadron followed after him as what looked like a solid wall of enemy fighters and pods approached. "Time to dance with the Devil Zed!"

Skull One screamed into the ten ship formation ahead of him and didn't slow down as the missiles flared from his pylons, four going up in large explosions. Two that wandered to close were perforated from the shrapnel, killing the pilots from explosive decompression as Skull shifted to battloid, her gun pod flashing harshly as the remaining four remaining pods swooped down on him. The mighty veritech spun, dodging blast after blast as the rest of the Veritechs joined the battle, explosions flared to life as both sides joined. Rick grunted as Skull dive and flipped herself and caught one of the four remaining pods with a sustained burst, the explosive tipped rounds chewing through the heavy armor. The com traffic was frantic as Rick put Skull One's hand right into the cockpit of a pod that had wandered to close.

 _"Target at three! Turning!"_

 _"I got him! I got him! Firing!"_

 _"Some one get this jackass off me!"_

 _"Bonzai is gone! Damn Zeds are ramming us! Argh!"_

Rick shoved the throttle forward as the fleets joined, now close enough for the death throes of friendly and hostile ships to become blinding. He spotted Breetai's flag ship barreling into the center of the enemy fleet, her guns flashing furiously as she unleashed multiple deadly accurate alpha strikes into ships stupid enough to get in his way. Looking up, Rick spotted thirty enemy fighters screaming at him, weapons flaring as they sent a deadly shower aimed to turn him into space dust. Skull shot up to meet them, gun pod steady as concentrated bursts left the barrel that was, despite the absolute zero of space, turning a dull cherry red as Rick killed six pods in quick succession. Depressing his missile bottom, two more missiles left his wings and slaughter their two targets. Rick hadn't used the micromissile packs attached to his frame just yet. It was still early and he had plenty of enemies to kill in painful ways.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Max cursed softly as he spun and shot two fast approaching missiles before cocking back his veritechs fist and slamming it hard into the offending fighter, it's momentum arrested from Max's forward motion. The glass and frame cracked and oxygen spewed out of it as he darted back away from it, 55mm peppering the weak point. He turned away from the red splashes that now filled the cockpit. He put on a burst of speed and tagged two more over eager pods before triggering his micromissiles, launching eighteen of the forty-eight he carried and blasted through the rapidly dissipating fireballs as he spotted one of his nuggets stuck in a pretty fierce brawl. "On no you don't."

The Dark Blue Veritech slammed it's shoulder into the attacking pod and quickly fired a burst into it, sending the now dead pod drifting away as the momentum of the impacting rods sent it tumbling. Max moved quickly out of the way as the _Yamato_ crossed the path of the pod, her guns firing as missiles streaked from their launch tubes, the impact of the dead pod not even visible from the amount of exhaust plumes from the missile launches. Seeing sixteen heavy pods bearing down on her, Max and two of his boys meet the force head on, one slamming right into Vermilion Ten, both craft going in a spectacular explosions.

Growling in anger, Max sent a stream of 55mm sweeping through the enemy lines, six going up while five began spewing smoke from the rounds hitting sensitive relays. He sent a brief silent thanks to his lovely wife for her information regarding the pods and their weak points. He planned to show her how much he appreciated that information when he got back. He looked to the small picture he stuck in his cockpit and his mind slid into full warrior. Max would admit he tended to keep that side of him at bay as he always had trouble dealing with the consequences but for Miriya and Dana, he'd deal with his own personal demons after he finished this battle. He screen flashed and he darted a quick look to it.

"Vermilion, main enemy push along the left flank." He growled, his battloid swatting to more bugs from the sky. "Form on me. We're going to show them how stupid of an idea that is."

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Ben was calm as he charged the enemy formation, his heavy missiles screaming off his wings and catching three of the four he had targeted. Putting on a burst of speed, Ben reached out and grabbed one of the pods and took a page from Sarah's book and sent it sailing into one of it's friends. His missile warning growled in his ear and Bruiser turned and rushed the enemy fighters coming head on, the two missiles sticking to his tail. He could hear frantic cries telling him to go evasive. He ignored them. "Come on. Just a little closer."

The yellow veritech flew right into the enemy forces and pulled up sharply, the battloid screaming right through the enemy formation as the two trailing missiles slammed full on into enemy fighters. Th explosion was rather impressive as Ben took a quick look at his tactical display before he frowned as he shifted back to fighter. "Knights, listen up! One hundred and eighty plus are coming in fast on the Relentless. We're going to show them the error of their ways."

 _"Right Behind ya Bruiser!"_

 _"Don't Forget me! Ain't a party without Party Boy!"_

 _"Give it a rest Party Boy! You hate parties!"_

Ben grinned as Sarah laughed at the short banter between Party Boy and Wise Guy. It was actually pretty hilarious having the twins in his squadron and The Black Knights turned as one and sped off towards the contacts coming in to strafe the Relentless. Ben dove down under a drifting wreck that was spilling debris and flames spewed from her hull breeches. The Black Nights darted over the hulls of the friendly ships as their weapons flashed with raw power and Ben's heart jumped into his throat.

"Knights, pull up!" He screamed as a massive Zentradi Battlecruiser flew into their flight path, It's engines sputtered as it surged forward on, trying to ram on of the smaller Allied Cruisers that was desperately trying to get clear as the metal behemoth. Ben managed to get his own veritech clear before an anguished cry caught his attention. Sarah looked at him in shock as he heard Wise Guy's frantic calls to his brother.

 _"Party Boy! George!"_

Sarah chanced a look and gave a sad look at her com panel. _"Party Boy didn't clear the wreck."_

Ben closed his eyes briefly before they snapped up, cold fury welling behind them. "Let's move."

The group of fighters spotted the bright flare of the enemy Single ships has the dove towards the Relentless, her Anti Mecha guns strobbing in rapid succession as particle bursts sliced through the darkness. Her fore deck came awash I smoke and flames as two missiles blurred into existence from the launch tubes and streaked off towards a massive ship creeping behind the ship. Ben's eyes narrowed on the enemy fighters and the Black Knights slipped into a line formation, their systems whining at them as the micromissiles began locking. "Knights, let's discourage the stupid."

As if to add a point to his statement, his flanks were completely obscured in smoke plumes as all forty-eight of his micromissiles shot off at the incoming battlepods and fighters, slaming into them and the sky lit up with hundred of explosions as the remaining twelve fighters of the Black Knights charged the surviving Zed force that had just been mauled. They just didn't know it yet.

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"Marines!" Colonel Mattis called over his com as he readied his mighty Tomahawk. His first mount may be scrap but Hatchetman was back and ready as the ten UN Marine Corps Tomahawks of the 6th Marine Armored Infantry regiment stood ready, their olive drab paint dulled and scratch from all the fighting they had been doing the past two years. His Marines watched and listened as Hatchetman began speaking. "We're going today to finish the job the Swabbies have been trying to finish since this while damned War started!"

He took a short pause as his diagnostics came back green again. "The Big Bastard himself is sitting pretty on this station and doesn't think we can take it from his soon to be dead cold hands. He's used to dealing with the Navy. I plan to introduce him to some Marine Justice! M!"

"Mean as Hell!"

"A!"

"All the time!"

"R!"

"Rough and Tough!"

"I!"

"In the Shit!"

"N!"

"Never quit!"

"E!"

"EVERY DAY! ORAH!"

Mattis smirked as his men were more motivated than he could remember seeing them. Most ops they did were police actions. It had been sometime since the Marines were allowed to do what they were trained to do. "Damn right. We're heart breakers and life takers! And now we're going to teach Khyron why you NEVER piss off a UN MARINE!"

The transport came to life around them moments before a mighty clang was felt through the ship and Mattis readied his weapon system. "Once that door opens, fan out and suppress enemy positions. Stacker, you and Charlie Lance need to haul ass to the rally point. Don't stop to chat with the locals about the weather."

"Yut!"

They heard the cutting torch attached to the docking collar finish and Hatchetman braced himself. "Here we go boys and girls!"

The pressure door swished open and Hatcheman opened up with his twin 25mm autocannons as his mount took it's lumbering steps forward into the hail of laser file, her armor taking hits but holding. The ten Marines likewise stomped out after their leader, guns and cannons flaring. Charlie lance exited last and started their trek towards the main assembly room and Mattis wished them luck as Hatchetman turned at the waste and twin streams of superheated napalm shot from the under slung flamers on his arms, a nasty looking gout of flames arced through the air, dousing Zendtradi and their cover to his left. He watched dispassionately as they bolted from cover, screaming as they tried in vain to extinguish the flames that covered most of their body. The cannons on Hatchetman flashed in quick succession, blowing the frantic enemy units off their feet and turning them into burning corpses now cooking away on the deck.

 _"Should have brought my barbecue sauce Boss."_ Thumper snarked as his ride cracked one of the approaching Zeds in the head with the barrel of his autocannon, the Zed dropping like a puppet with it's strings cut.

"Stow that shit Thumper." Mattis snapped as his trigger the 7.62 machine guns buried in his chest armor. The rattle from the guns was dull and Mattis would have missed it had he not been the one firing, the rounds peppering the deck and cover as they tore after a Zed trying desperately to get behind cover. "Instead of popping off at the mouth, how about you pop off a few missiles into that gathering crowd to your right! They ain't fans looking for an autograph!"

Thumper turned and the Tomahawk braced itself as the shoulder launchers smoothly opened and ten missiles streaked from the tubes, contrails and fire soaring forth and detonating into the group of Zeds that were trying to reinforce their now dead and dying friends in the docking ring. The Zeds were starting to come in from every door that Mattis could see and he gave a dark grin. "Well, looks like our dance card just got a few more notches in it. Light um up!"

A wave of missiles and autocannon rounds shot from the Human forces and began chewing up the security teams. Hatchetman grimaced as a powerful blast impacted into his right chest armor. He took a short look and saw it was still green, but he knew sustained hits would be a bad idea. He was turning to deal with the jackass on the heavy gun and paused as he watched one of their allies fly over the cannon and tackle the gunner. He'd seen Allied Zed go after Khyron's men before, but seeing the rage filled face as he proceeded to punch the gunner until his face looked like cheap hamburger was on a whole other level. He belatedly realized allied boarding teams were rallying up on him as planned and he gave a shake of his head. "Thanks for the assist Zulu One. You kids ready for a field trip?"

"We are with you human!"

"Well lets go say hello to our friends." Mattis chuckled. "This should be a riot!"

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 _"Skull and Rapier. Back door is open!"_

"You heard um boys and girls!" Rick barked and turned his mech towards the station as the fleet began to push the enemy fleet back and away from the target. They were barely holding off the allies and were down to near one thousand ships but still held a numeric advantage over the allies that had only six hundred ships left. Most were burning wrecks and Rick had witnessed the destruction of the Relentless as she stood, defiant, firing her remaining particle cannon and anit mecha batteries before she succumbed to the attention of three enemy cruisers, two billowing smoke from inflicted wounds and a third missing most of it's bow structure. He prayed Roy was in one of the pods he saw flash from her hull.

Skull and Rapier turned as one and sped of to the hanger as dozens of spheres of bright white light filled the space behind the allies. Rick waited in nerves before he smiled and relaxed. "Well, I was wondering when Breetai make the call."

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"The reserves have arrived and are moving into position." Exedore reported, having taking over after the main sensor officer was killed moments ago. "We now have the advantage."

"Order all ships to press the attack." Breetai commanded, ignoring the pain from his gashed forehead and broken arm. "Any vessel too damaged to attack is to pull back and prepare to retrieve escape pods."

"Yes My Lord." Exedore took one more look before he turned to Breetai with a grim expression. "Captain Hunter has boarded the station Commander."

"May your foes fall before you in agony Captain." Breetai spoke softly as his eyes once more turned to the tactical display before a smirk crossed his face. "And may your mate swoon from your warrior strength."

"Not the standard battle chant." Exedore commented with a knowing smile.

"Time has shown me change can be a good thing." Breetai remarked calmly. "What do you say we end this Exedore?"

"It will be most glorious."

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Charlie Lance stomped down the hall, weapons flashing as the occasional Guard tried to ambush them or the few hastily thrown together defensive positions that stood between them and the Rally point. Master Sergeant Stacker frowned as he triggered his autocannons. "Something ain't right here."

"Yeah. You can say that again." Sergeant Stokes checked his own display. "Think they took a coffee break?"

Charlie Lance slowed to a stop as they entered the last section between them and the assembly room and spotted near thirty Zeds glaring at them from around the room. Stacker just glared into his com. "That answer your question Nub?"

The Tomahawks, specifically Nubs, fried first sending one now headless Zed tumbling backwards where the body fell with a meaty thud. Stacker and his men spread out to avoid being clustered together. One target was a waste of ammo, four were a gunners wet dream. Pete had just turned one into a human torch when his com crackled to life and the face of Skull Leader kicked on.

 _"Stackes, you in position yet?"_

The man shook his head grimly as his metal beast twisted her chassis and stepped behind cover, avoiding a sustained burst from an annoying bug on the catwalk above them and replied in his Texan drawl. "That's a negative Knight. Looks like the Zeds have decided to throw us a welcoming party We-hang on."

Pete triggered his flamethrowers as he spotted a Zed peeking around the massive containers that dotted the room and the Zed dove to the ground to avoid the super heated flames. "Sorry bout that sir. Needed to discourage the curious for a second."

Pete chanced a look at his display and sighed from the hostile contacts moving through the maze of containers towards them. "They're pretty hell bent on stopping us from getting to our tally point And-Get your ass back down!"

Stackes snarled as he triggered the 25mm and knocked the zed back off his feet. It was the same one he almost roasted and instead of staying down and living, the damn fool tried to stand to fight. Now he was nothing more than another cooling body.

"Gotta give um credit." He remarked gruffly, stepping out of cover and preparing to fire his missiles into the railing over head. That would deal with the annoyance with the pop gun. "They are a determined bunch."

Knight seemed to pause before he responded and Stackes could see the anxious yet hard look in the man's eyes. _"Alright Stackes. Do what you can. We'll hold the rally point until you arrive."_

"Copy that sir." Pete grinned as his missiles took flight, slamming into the catwalk supports and the annoyance was soon screaming in rage as he fell to the floor. "Gotta get back to the barbecue. You know no one can roast meat like a Texan!"

He laughed as he saw the look on Knight's face before the com went silent. He took a breath and grinned harshly. "Now, who else wants some Texan Justice dispensed?"

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"And you failed to bring enough coffins." Rick snarled in reply before Skull One became a blur of motion.

The two other veritechs rolled to the sides, weapons firing at the on rushing Zentradi warriors. Rick snarled and Skull One leapt high into the air before coming down, gun pod barking in rapid succession and Zeds began to fall to his gun. Skull planted her feet into the chest of one Zed, and both went tumbling to the deck as the crowd began to stop their charge, each surprised the lone humna had jumped into their midst. Skull One came back up and swung the gun pod around, letting a sustained burst as it swept over the still reacting crowd. Dozens spun away, chests splayed open from the explosive rounds before the gun fell silent. Rick let out rage filled curse as for the first time he'd ever heard or seen, the 55 jammed. Not having time to clear the double feed, he turned the pod around and slammed it hard over the head of the closest Zentradi. The impact split the Zeds head open and Rick was more than certain he'd shattered the top of his skull as the Zeds eyes rolled into the back of his head and the body dropped, convulsing as Skull One turned her impromptu club to another zed and slammed into full force into his throat. The alien stumbled back, grabing at his collapsed wind pipe as he fought to breath. Rick was seething as he felt himself grabbed from behind and raised the thruster feet of Skull one and ignited her afterburners. The approaching Zed that had a rather interesting looking Knife draw screamed in pain as the extreme heat from the exhaust plume washed over his face, melting skin and flash frying the hair on his head. The burned alien fell to the ground, dropping his knife as he cradled his charred face as Rick used the momentum from his burn and brought his back down on top the the now falling Zentradi's head. He didn't even look as he rolled away and retrieved the dropped knife.

Skull One popped into a crouch and her sensor pod turned to track the remaining ten Zentradi rushing to meet him. Rick let out a deep bellow and rushed forth, the sounds of gun fire and death screams filled the air behind him.

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Lisa looked up sharply as she heard the viewing hatch open and saw the curious stare of Grel. She could hear the sounds of battle and hoped it was Rick. Whether having learned ho to read human emotion and body language, or just a lucky guess, Grel confirmed her hopes. "Your mate had arrived."

"I warned you and your boss." Lisa gave a smug smirk as Kaylee slowly began to wake. "You're all dead men."

Grel's eyes never lost the curious look as he watched little Kaylee yawn and rub her eyes.

"What is she called Captain Hunter?" Grel spoke in a calm tone of voice.

Lisa gave a startled look before her glare became frosty. "Why do you want to know? You're just going to kill us.

The giant made a thoughtful hum before he answered.

"I find it best to honor my enemies that I am to kill." He spoke slowly. "I may not like your people, but unlike Khyron thinks, you do deserve my respect. And to honor courage, I honor the name of my opponent. What is she called?"

"Her name is Kaylee." Lisa breathed, looking down with a sad smile at her daughter who reached up a chubby hand as if trying to sooth her mother's fears.

"Kaylee Hunter." Grel repeated before nodding. "Thank you Captain. No matter how this turns out, know I respect you and your young one as you remain strong, even in the face of death. It is...admirable."

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Rick was panting as the last of the Zentradi Ambush fell with a wet grugle from the slit throat. Skull One was was splattered in blood as the final body dropped to the ground. He was the only one of his team still standing. Rick took a steadying breath before looking to an interested Khyron. "You are quite impressive Captain. Killing those men as quickly as you did. I had thought you'd fall before them,"

Rick watched with rage filled eyes as Kyhron causally leapt over the railing and landed before him with a muffled thump. The Alien rose to his full height and grinned. "But you see, you tired yourself out. I can see the exhaustion radiating off of you. And now...now we shall fight, and you shall lose. Do you have any last words you wish to peak Micronian? Perhaps a last tearful good by to your mate and spawn?"

Rick glared at Kyhron as the man cracked his knuckles and a feral grin crossed Rick's face as he readied himself.

"Tell me something, _friend_." Rick filled the word 'friend' with as much hate as he could. "You ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

Khyron blinked in surprise and he looked at Rick with pure confusion. "What?"

"It's just an expression I like."

Skull moved quickly, fists raised as Khyron readied himself. He blocked the first punch and retaliated with his own that sent the human stumbling back before Skull leveled a hay maker into his jaw. Khyron shook his head as he started to stand up again until Skull One slammed both her fists into the top of his head. Khyron cried out in pain and stumbled back, arms grabbing for purchase to stabilize himself before Skull moved again. Khyron gave a startled cry as Skull One slammed hard into him, sending him flat on his back and skidding for a few meters. Snarling, the crazed man rolled clear as Skull One slammed down the blade in it's hands, snapping it clean off the hilt. Rolling onto his feet, Khryon dove into Skull Ones side and started to raise his fist to punched in the chest armor. Rick caught his fist and locked the hand servos down. The Alien ducked his head as the lasers attached to the Sensor Pod flashed, nearly searing into his face. The smell of burnt hairs alerted Khyron that he'd been singed. With rage filled eyes, Khyron yanked his arm back and heard the stressed groan from the arm motors in the Veritech. With a roar, he managed to rip Skull One's right arm off in a shower of sparks and metal, the effort sending him stumbling backwards as the mecha. Skull Slowly got to her feet, Rick grunting in pain from the impacts he had suffered and felt his overworked muscles scream in protest. He knew he'd pulled a few in his back from this fight and his display blared angrily as warning lights flashed on, telling him Skull was hurting and hurting bad. He needed to end this quickly. Khyron started forward, the ripped off arm clenched tightly in his hands as he swung it like a bat. Skull twisted enough for the strike to miss completely before her remaining fist collided with Khyron's nose, the Alien stumbled back, clenching his broken nose as body seeped from it. Rick didn't wait and ignited his back thrusters and pulled his arm back. Khyron looked up and his eyes widened before the metal hand clamped around his throat and both were carried into the wall, stars exploding in his vision as the back of his head slammed hard against the metal wall.

Skull's stressed systems whined in protest as she lifted Khyron off his feet, his eyes bulging as his face reddened. Rick's red eyes only saw the dying man in front of him. That would be his undoing as Khyron managed to deliver a powerful kick to Skull's chest. Rick gasped as he felt the impact and he grip was broken. Khyron gave a pained gasp as he rose to his feet while Skull readied herself for the next part. The Crazed Alien wiped the blood from his face and gave Rick a short nod in respect. "You are indeed impressive. But...I think we both know how this must end."

Skull didn't answer, instead what sounded like an angered growl emanated from her that even surprised Rick. The pilot gave a small smile before he manipulated his controls. Both beings took a running leap at each other with Rick managing to catch Khyron in the gut with the metal knee of Skull One. The man gave a pained groan as he started to slump over before he was roughly yanked away and tossed to the ground. He gave a choked cry as the metal foot of Skull One slammed down on his throat. Rick looked down at Khyron with his icy blue eyes and ignited Skulls thrusters. The ones built into her shoulders opened as the afterburner flared to life, keeping her from lifting off the deck.

Khyron knew it was over the moment he ended up pinned under the micronian boot. He felt the heat on his neck as he desperately tried to get free, the Human preparing to ignited the engines in the feet of his mech. White hot pain flared quickly in his neck and chest for many agonizing moments before it disappeared quickly. He blinked and tried to take a breath, but found he could not feel the rest of his body. He felt his vision darkened as the world began to fade, but not before he noticed he was rolling away from the human. His now oxygen starved mind flashed with rage and morbid realization as he caught sight of his headless body, still smoking from the intense heat of the Micronian's engines.

Rick watched the head roll away and stop as the eyes blinked in confusion. Rick grabbed the Gun pod from his fallen fellows and pointed it at the head. "Burn in Hell."

The rounds bit into the metal and Rick watched as the head exploded like pumpkin before he turned to the sound of heavy footfalls and gave a sigh of relief. The lead Tomahawk paused and he knew the man was surveying the room. Pete Stacker's shocked face appeared on his communications panel. "What in the Hell happened here?"

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Stacker watched as the mortars hit home, blowing the last of the resistance away. He gave a tired sigh and ordered his lance to form on his lead and they stomped off. He heard a short burst of gunfire and the breached the doors, expecting to see the three pilots in the middle of a massive firefight. What he was not expecting to see was Skull One, missing her right arm and covered in blood. He surveyed the carnage as Knight turned to them and let out a low surprised whistle. Sixty bodies laid across the floor in different status of death and two charred remains of veritechs. His eyes spotted the smoking body at Knight's feet and his face registered shock as he activated the com line.

"What in the Hell happened here?" He managed to get out.

Knight looked completely exhausted as he answered, but he gave a small smile. _"HVT has been neutralized. Let's go get my family Stackes"_

Pete blinked away his surprised and nodded. "Yes sir. Nub, you and Preacher hold here. Rest of the boys are on their way."

 _"Roger that."_

 _"Don't worry Stackes, I got a few sermons in mind for any wayward sheep."_

 _"Wasn't the bible clear about killing?"_ Stokes snickered as Ron 'Preacher' Simpson just grinned, Stacker rolled his eyes as he fought hard not to laugh at Preacher's age old response.

 _"Very clear. However, it was a bit fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps."_

"Dog the jokes you clowns." Stacker barked, though his grin showed he was okay with the chatter. "Headcase and me will go with Knight to round up our VIPs."

The one armed Veritech marched forward, his computer placing a waypoint to the correct cell where Lisa's tracking device was located. Thankfully, she had decided to have it installed in her wedding ring as no force in Heaven or Hell would ever make her remove the gold band on her left finger. Rick had likewise had one installed in his ring. All RDF military members carried trackers to help find them if they are separated form their units or in a pilots case, it acted as a distress beacon. Stackes and Headcase fell into step to his flanks as the made their way down the empty corridor in silence for several minutes before coming to a stop. Rick readied the gun pod.

"Stackes, you both hold here." His eyes hardened. "Make sure no one disturbs me."

 _"You got it Knight."_

He didn't wait and entered the room, gun pod held firmly in his grip. The cells lined the sides of the central path, forty on either side and Rick made his way cautiously down the walk way before the last Zentradi foolish enough o stand between him and his family sprang out of a cell to his right, a metal bar swing upwards and sending the gun pod flying from his grip.

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Grel snarled as he saw the human machine close it's fist and turn to him. Roaring in anger, he stabbed the broken bar forward, slamming it into the gap between the arm and the torso and cried out in pain as electricity arced from the pipe. It took all his strength to let go of the bar and he hissed as his hands began to smoke from the burns he had just received. He could feel the muscles in his arms twitching like mad from his own self induced electrocution. Rick gave a pained grown as alarms began flaring up for all of his systems. That last jab had reduced the left arm to a useless smoking appendage. The sensor pod rotated quickly as sparks and smoke pour from the pierced shoulder. Grel had made the mistake of hesitating. It would be his last as the four lasers built into the sensor pod connected with the center of his forehead and the back of his head exploded outwards as they cored his skull. The body fell to the ground, still twitching from the electricity that had coursed through it. Skull One sluggishly made her way to the final cell, her joints whining in protest from the abuse she had been under. But she arrived at the cell door and slammed her sensor pod into the controls as she had no other way to activate them. Rick's final camera went dark and the battloid toppled over, her many abused systems succumbing to the near contestant abuse and shut down as the safeties kicked in. Rick coughed in pain as his head had impacted with the center console and blinked slowly to clear his eyes as he smelt the smoke form the fried relays.

"Well damn." He muttered as he activated the manual releases. Explosive bolts, ones that would normally be used in an ejections, blew the shattered sensor pod clear, sending it skidding across the cell block floor and crashing into the wall where it blew as the final few powercells gave from the stress. Gingerly, Rick clawed his way out of his now dead Skull One and collapsed to the floor as he sucked in great lungfuls of air and felt the pain of his muscles with a groan.

"Dad!"

Rick's eyes snapped open and he looked up, painfully, slowly and his heart swelled with emotions as hot tears welled in his eyes. Ignoring his pain, Rick shakily got to his feet and stumbled toward the running Lisa, Kaylee held tightly in her arms as she gave her own cry. "Rick!"

He reached out and took them both into his arms, trying to clear his eyes as Lisa gave a happy sob and buried her face into his neck while Kaylee finally let it all out, crying as she clutched at his neck. The small family sank to the ground, crying as a Tomahawk entered the room, a gentle smile on it's pilots face. "Command, this is Stackes. Knight has secured the VIPs. Send the extraction team."

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In space, Breetai eyed the destroyed remains of Khyron's fleet and sighed with a smile. "It has been a victorious day Admiral."

Roy nodded before his shoulders slumped.

"But at a heavy cost." He reminded the commander. "Most of our ships were destroyed. Barely a quarter of them can be salvaged."

Breetai rubbed his chin with his off hand as his right arm was set in a cast . "True. But with the Factory, we can begin to rebuild our strength and honor the memory of those we lost here today. It is only a matter of time before the Masters come to see what has happened to Dolza since he has not reported to them in two years."

The still micronized Breetai glanced at Roy. "How is Captain Hunter?"

"Which one?" Roy joked, his relief plain on his face as he answered. "Lisa and Kaylee are okay. Rick's going to be down for a day or two though I think Lisa isn't going to mind playing Nurses for him."

Breetai saw the strange look on Roy's face and turned fully to him, confusion on his own face.

"What does it mean to 'play nurse'? Is Captain Hunter not qualified to look over her mate as he heals? Why did you look suddenly nostalgic?"

Roy's face flushed as some of his surviving command staff gave him an amused look as the blonde man palmed his face. They lost it as he finally replied to Breetai's question."Just...forget I said anything."

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Henry sagged into his chair as the girls began cheering, and a warm smile appeared on his face. They'd finally managed to remove Khyron and the threat he brought to them. And the Hunter family were reunited at last. He wiped a stray tear from his face as Claudia gripped the console before her, her form shaking as she fought back the joyful tears that wanted to escape. Not only had Roy came through, albeit with a broken arm, but Rick had managed to save his wife and daughter. Not to mention killing Khyron. She looked up and stared out the window, smiling. "Well done guys."

"I wonder where Captain Hunter got that phrase from." Henry pondered, feeling a giddy sense of happiness. "It sounds most familiar."

Kim looked to Sammie and the girl shrugged, both grinning before they heard a startled gasp from Vanssa and her cheeks flushed. All eyes turned to her as she gave a sheepish smile. Henry raised a single eyebrow. "Lieutenant?"

"The way he delivered the line, it's from the Tim Burton Batman Movie." She giggled. "The line was delievered by the Joker before he shot Bruce Wayne. We all watched it a few weeks ago during movie night at the Hunters'."

Henry gave a laugh before he looked thoughtful, a grin on his face. "I believe Captain Hunter has earned himself a new callsign!"

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"So you're laid up for a few days?" Ben asked his old flight lead as the man groaned just from grabbing a cup of water. Max and Miriya were huddled on the couch together while Sarah was holding on tightly to Ben's hand.

"Yeah. Some pulled muscles and bruised ribs." He gave a pained grin. "Thankfully, I have this really sexy nurse that's taking such wonderful care of me."

Lisa rolled her eyes as she took the cup from him after he finished his drink, all the while, Rick was wagging his eyebrows at her. "Yeah yeah. Pervert. Tell me again why I married you?"

"Because you love my charming wit, dashing good looks, and my stunning intelligence." Rick grinned at her as Kaylee and Dana were napping together in the playpen.

"Aren't we modest." Lisa quipped, a smile tugging at her lips. "So Ben, you said you and Sarah are getting married right?"

Ben flushed and poked his index fingers together. "Yeah. I'm nervous, but excited."

Both Hunters shared a knowing look and a smile before Rick looked to his friend. "Trust me, we know what you mean. Any idea when it'll be?"

Ben refused to meet their gaze as he answered. "This Saturday. She said she's tired of waiting. And to be honest, so am I."

"Well now." Rick remarked, smirking. "Definitely a reason for me to better!"

The only warning Rick had that he had woken Kaylee was a startled snort before a bottle found itself sailing at his head. Thankfully for him, Miriya was quick enough to catch it mid flight while the toddler glared at her now sheepish father and the group laughed as she spoke. "Bad."


	25. Chapter 25 To The Stars

**A/N: Well, here we are sadly...we have an epilogue next and that will officially end Mars Alight. This has been an awesome ride for most of y'all and I am proud to say that under the English category of Rick/Lisa stories, Alight is officially the largest tale on this sight at present. Normally, I would post review responses with this chapter to keep up with the great feedback you guys have given, but I will be dedicating a section in the epilogue as my final shout out to my faithful reviewers. And don't worry, it won't be a Harry potter type let down (That epilogue I refuse to agree is cannon...nor the last three books!). It's taken me nearly three months to write this beast, nearly eight to ten hours when I was unemployed and now on my days off. Many will be sad to see this end, but like all good things...**

 **Anyway, there will be a sequel so don't worry too much. That will cover the Master's Arc with Dana, Bowie and Kaylee Hunter. And yes, maybe even a Dixon and a Fokker involved in that Generation. I'll be using Sentinels as the basis of the opening chapter, minus the wedding (Which already happened!) and Edwards though maybe BD Andrews will take his place...hmmm...anyway, once again, thank you for following me on this journey and stay tuned for the epilogue. It'll be up by Sunday and then...this will be officially completed. Largest story I have ever, ever written!**

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Chapter 25 To the Stars...

Rick stood in his full military dress with the surviving squadron leaders as the ceremony for the fallen progressed. Hundreds of officers and enlisted men had died in the attack on the Factory that was now safely placed in orbit of Earth. The cost had been high with a finally tally nearing two thousand men and woman dead or permanently disabled. He bowed his head as the procession passed by him. Of the honored dead, Rick had the duty to deliver the final letters of thirty-seven pilots. Eight of them had been parents of children old enough to realize something was wrong. It broke his heart having to tell a mom and her child that her husband was gone. It made him feel guilty as he'd managed to save his but others had lost so much and yet he was able to hold onto his. Why? The last house he had stopped by had been a young man, younger than Rick and had a small toddler around four. The young man took one look at Rick and Admiral Fokker's grim face and he knew what they were coming to tell him. His husband was dead. And hearing the child ask why her Dadda wasn't coming him...Roy had to help Rick leave the home. No one blamed him, but Rick felt they should. Their loved ones died to save his. So here he stood, watching the caskets of the honored dead pass him, his salute never dropping, and his eyes never looked more lost.

The procession lasted for near thirty minutes until the last of the caskets left and Admiral Gloval gave a tired sigh, feeling all of his sixty plus years. It was never easy to see this and a look to Rick showed the man was trying to deal with a guilt Henry recognized. "You can not blame yourself Captain. The blame for their deaths falls on Khyron, and you have avenged them. You avenge all those killed by him."

"I killed him as revenge sir." The quiet voice drifted from the man, matching the somber mood. "I killed him because he took my family. I wasn't thinking of any one lost to him. Just my own rage and pain he'd taken Lisa and Kaylee from me."

Gloval placed a hand on the man's shoulder, Rick's gaze skyward as the overcast sky began to clear and the first rays of sunlight began to pierce through. "You may have been Rick. But those men and woman lost...all those souls lost over the years to Khyron and his forces...they were also a family to you, no? You're brothers and sisters in arms. We are a Family Rick, all of us that wear the uniform. I can say that they will rest easier as the threat to their own spouses and children has been removed. I think they do not blame you."

Rick nodded and a sad smile crossed his face.

"I know you're probably right Admiral. I just wish I could shake the hand of everyone who died and thank them for helping me to get my wife and daughter back from Khyron's crazy forces. They are the true heroes...not me sir."

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"Hey buddy."

Rick glanced to the familiar voice and spotted a concerned looking Roy sliding onto the bar stool next to him. "Hey Roy. Congratulations by the way. Lisa told me Claudia is pregnant."

The blonde man gave a happy grin and inclined his head in thanks. "Yup. Looks like the Fokker family is going to grow! And you get to the Uncle that get's cried at now."

Rick gave a hollow laugh and and sipped his drink as Roy's smile slipped off his face. "You know, Lisa asked me to come find you. Said you looked pretty upset after this morning,"

"She did huh?" Rick commented, setting his drink down. They sat in silence for several minutes until Roy let out a sigh.

"Rick, you can't blame yourself."

"Why can't I Roy?" Rick looked right at him, his eyes narrowed. "Why? It was my fault. My family was taken by a monster because I was sitting in a brief and cracking jokes with you and the others. Those men died in an operation directed at getting my wife and my child back. Don't try to tell me it was for the Factory because we both know the kidnapping was the real reason we launched."

"We would have launched regardless." Roy;s eyes took an edge to them as he studied Rick, seeing the slump in his shoulders. "It could have been a civilian family snatched. Didn't matter as Admiral Gloval would have made the exact same call."

"But it wasn't a civilian family!" Rick snapped, turning to Roy with a heated stare. "It was mine! And good people died to bring them home! Do you know how hard it was for me to explain to an eight year old boy that his Dad wasn't coming home ever again? Or telling a young expecting mother her husband was now a pile of ashes? Do you? You can try to color it with pretty words all you want Roy, but because of me, hundreds of families have been destroyed while I get to keep mine. You know how much I hate myself right now? That I'm happy they're alive while others mourn?"

Roy blinked in surprise before he shook his head. "Rick, you shouldn't hate yourself because your relieved Lisa and Kaylee are safe and sound. It called being human."

"Well ain't I just a great example of one." Rick remarked darkly, reaching for the bottle before his hand was stopped by Roy.

"I think you've had enough."

"Let go Roy."

Roy shook his head and watched as his brother's arm tensed. "No Buddy. The last thing you need now is more. I've been where you've been. Trust me, it won't help."

"My life. My choice." Rick gave him a warning look. "Let go Big Brother or I will make you."

Roy's eyes narrowed, his temper flaring. "You don't have the guts."

Wrong thing to say a Roy went tumbling out of the bar stool as all conversation in the bar stopped. Rick rose from his seat, fury on his face as Roy groaned, rubbing his jaw as his little Bother approached.

"You take that crap outside!" The barkeep gave an angry yell. "Keep it up and I'll call the cops!"

Rick ignored the man and stalked to Roy as the man rose back to his feet, his face set in a harsh tone before a deep bellow sounded from the door. "Just what the hell are you two doing?!"

They both froze and looked towards the sound of the voice as a familiar form stomped toward them, fury on his weathered face. Pop Hunter looked furious as his two sons stared at him, both with raised fists. "You two. Outside. Now."

They spared a glance before they gave a sharp nod and pushed through the crowd as Pop walked over to the Barkeep and tossed him a fifty. "I'll take care of my boys. Sorry bout their outburst."

"The young man looked pretty upset. Just warn them that they do it again, they won't be allowed back in."

"Oh trust me, they won't be this stupid again." Pop growled and exited the bar and saw the two yelling at each other and he snarled before storming over and yanking them both off their feet, holding them as far apart as he could. Pop maybe pushing seventy, but he was fit as a man at fifty.

"Cut the bullshit!" He barked. "Now!"

The two men glared at each other as Pop looked from one to the other, a crowd drawn around them. "Now, you are both going to keep your mouths shut while I'll talk or I'll knock your heads together. Understand me?"

"Yes." They muttered, eyes dropping to the ground.

"Good. Now, I know why you were in there." His gaze turned to his youngest. "You need to snap out of it. You think I don't know what's going through that head of your's boy? Hell, I did the same thing after Dan was killed. Did it a lot. I blamed myself so much I almost lost you and your mother to the bottle because of guilt. Guilt I was alive and had my wife and son while Dan was dead and his family didn't have him. You beat Khyron, right?"

"Yeah." Rick muttered, eyes still downcast. "Yeah, melted his head from his body."

"And yet your hiding in a bar, fighting with your brother." Pop shook his head and a sad look crossed his face. "You didn't beat him if you're still letting him get to you. Even in death, he's getting the last laugh. You haven't beaten him yet. And you won't until you get over your guilt. You want to point that finger at someone? Do it at Khyron."

Understanding flashed in his eyes. Pop knew it would work to use Khyron as the target. Rick's hate towards him was still hot. Though Pop was honest when he said the fault laid with the headless corpse. He snapped his eyes over to Roy. "And you."

"Me? He's the one that cocked me in the jaw!"

"You were stupid enough to try to stop him physically." Pop frowned at him. "You should have known that would end with you on your ass. Now shut up. We are all going home."

A glance showed several people holding cell phone cameras, having recorded the whole incident since Pop had broken up the fight before it had fully began. Tomorrow would be interesting.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick shuffled into the house and had just closed the front door when the front room light snapped on. He froze before letting out a resigned sigh and turned to see Lisa looking at him, her gaze level but not heated, for which he was grateful. She pursed her lips as he shifted awkwardly. "It's nearly midnight."

"Yeah."

Lisa took one long look at him before she sighed.

"I know what happened Rick. And I know why it did."

His shoulders slumped and he began to tremble. "I...Lisa, I had to hand a four year old little girl a folded flag from her mother's casket. She'd lost her father in the rain of death and now...now she's an orphan. She didn't even fully understand just what I was trying to say to her. I looked at her, and...I saw Kaylee."

She watched as his face began a swirl of sadness, regret, and pain. "I couldn't help but feel it was my fault she'd grow up without her parents. I..."

She rose to her feet, understanding on her face as she slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him to her, his going around her as his whole body shook. She felt the tears land on her shoulder as he took a deep breath. "And I felt horribly guilty my family came through in one piece and other didn't. And I was ashamed that I hadn't even considered how many had lost their own family in the fight."

"Rick..." Her voice was gentle and understanding. "I know. I know. It's not easy to accept. I feel pretty horrible myself when I realize that I didn't even think about the cost it would incur for our rescue. But we can't blame ourselves. It was Khyron, not us that caused this. You know that no matter if he took me and Kaylee or not. It still would have caused deaths. And that's something neither of us could have prevented."

Rick Hunter wept, held tightly in the arms of his wife as his guilt, relief, and anger finally were released.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Henry frowned at Rick, Roy, Lisa, and Claudia as the four stood before him. His frown was directed mostly at Rick, who seemed to be fairing better and he sighed. "Hunter, you are lucky I was able to explain this all to Monument and the Council. They wanted to charge you with striking a superior officer and conduct unbecoming."

Rick grimaced, but nodded his head in understanding. He'd have deserved it. Roy remained silent, though there was an amused gleam in his eye as the Admiral continued speaking.

"I reminded them it was impossible to strike a superior officer when one is the same rank as the other officer."

Rick blinked in surprise. "Uh...sir? Roy is an Admiral. I'm a Captain. I'm pretty sure there is a difference in rank."

Claudia snorted and rolled her eyes while Lisa giggled into her hand. Roy just gave Rick an amused look while said man was still looking to the Admiral, confused. Gloval frowned before he tossed a small box at Rick. "You're out of uniform...General."

Rick blinked and popped open the box and saw the insignia of a Brigadier General. "But...why...?"

"Colonel Edwards left me a detailed report that analyzed every action you've taken and the effects. He was actually bluntly honest and stated he believed you earned it. Which reminds me."

He turned in his seat and looked directly at Lisa. "As you are indeed aware, we have begun construction of the SDF-3 on the Factory. I need some one to be in complete command of a fleet that will be launched to search for the RoboTech Masters. I had intended this for the commissioning ceremony of the SDF-2, however that will not be possible any longer."

She nodded her head in understanding as Henry pulled three more small boxes from his desk drawer and rose to his feet and stood before them. "Admiral Roy Fokker. For your outstanding command ability and the successful completion of your mission, I am proud to promote you to Vice Admiral. You will be moved to permanent command of the Fleet. You have shown your abilities over the past year. You will report to my office at 0730 tomorrow so we may begin the lengthy process of getting you ready to command the RDF."

Roy's jaw dropped and he just stared in surprised as Gloval removed the Rear Admiral Insignia on his collar and placed the ones of Vice Admiral in their place. "I am getting too old to run the show constantly anymore. General Maistroff and Admiral Emmerson will also be in that meeting."

Roy gaped in surprise and couldn't speak as Gloval stepped to Claudia, her own face smiling as the Admiral removed her Commander bars and placed the ones of a Captain on her. He gave her a proud smile before he stepped before a wide eyed Lisa. Henry gave her a proud smile as he pulled of the captain rank and pulled the new insignia from the box. "Lisa Hunter. I am proud to promote you to the rank of Admiral. You will be in command of the SDF-3 and the expedition fleet being constructed in orbit over the next two years. You will be our shield against the RoboTech Masters. I know you will succeed and will bring honor to us."

He pinned the admiral stars on her collar and stepped back while Rick smiled at his wife, proud and loving as Henry looked to him. "And General Hunter, you will be with her. While I hope we can do this peacefully, I fear that may not be the case. You, General, will be in over all command of all military assets assigned to the fleet while Admiral Hunter has over all fleet command. Do you have any questions?"

"Let me see if I understand this." Rick smirked and glanced at Lisa. "You're telling me that my **wife** is in charge of me and has full veto power on any of **my** decisions. Correct?"

Henry grinned and nodded while Lisa scowled at him, seeing where this was going. Roy was still in shock at his promotion but his lips twitched in a smile as Claudia just rolled her eyes as Rick continued. "How is that any different than our marriage? She already does all of that."

The room filled with laughter as Lisa glared at her husband, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh really?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The months passed quickly for the Humans and their allies as they began to rebuild the loses suffered to the fleet. The Oberths had taken the brunt of the loss in manpower and material but it sadly was expected with the limited amount they could do with it. The fighter wing, while suffering near forty percent losses fleet wide, was already recovering quickly Though for Rick and his friends...they'd made an intersting discovery.

"Rook! If you don't fly straight and stop messing around, I will shoot you down myself." Rick growled into the communications panel as Jack 'Rook' Baker just gave a sheepish grin.

 _"Sorry sir! I've always wanted to fly one of these."_ The younger man admitted. _"It's a dream come true."_

Rick sighed. He knew Lisa was laughing at him from her place at the command Center. He'd been warned by Pop and Roy that they were calling Baker a Rick 2.0. And it scared the hell out of Rick about how right they were, The sixteen year old was definitely a reminder of how Rick had been when he first started out. "I can understand that, believe me, I do. But right now, this is training. No goofing around or I'll hand you back to Bruiser for more simulator runs, got me?"

The young man gave a fearful nod and the panel clicked off replaced by the grinning face of one Colonel Max Sterling. Rick had the man promoted as his own XO and Max had joked the pay raise would help with taking care of his family. _"Gee Joker, Almost reminds me of when Lisa chewed you out for your own crazy antics."_

"Yeah yeah. Laugh it up Specter." Rick grumbled. "I was never that bad."

 _"You're right. You were worse."_

Rick frowned at the center screen as Lisa appeared with a knowing look. _"And at least Baker hasn't insulted me over the com."_

 _"If he does, he will learn quickly it is a very foolish idea."_

 _"Miriya, I really wish you had been with us when Rick did it."_ Lisa laughed as the flight continued over the wasteland. Miriya smirked at Rick before her eyes started to gleam in a predatory manner.

 _"Indeed. I have still not decided whether to shoot him down or not."_ Miriya drawled, her smirk still in place.

"It's a mutiny I tell you." Rick grumbled with his own small smile. "I was young and stupid then."

 _"And your not now?"_

"Well there goes your anniversary gift." Rick smirked as Lisa rolled her eyes. "I think I'll tell Kaylee you were mean to me."

 _"Oh no you don't. She already yells at me if I even attempt to correct you."_ Lisa scowled as the others laughed. _"My own daughter betrays me."_

"Alright guys. As much fun as this is, we have training to finish." Rick clicked his com off before he brought up the three nuggets on his communications display. "Rook, She Hulk, and Cipher, climb to angels ten and get ready for BCM."

Baker, Penn, and Graham, who had transferred from intel to flight funnily enough, all gave acknowledgments. Rick watched the three VF-1s climb into the sky with military precision and Rick gave a ten count after seeing them level off. His grin became dark as he throttled forward and took off after them. "Fights on!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick looked to the three sulking pilots as they made their way into the briefing room and Rick gave them a smile when the three dropped into their chairs. "You three did good today. You worked as a team. Somewhat."

"We still lost to you sir." Baker muttered, his eyes downcast as his wingmen nodded their heads in agreement. Rick sighed and leaned against the podium as he spotted Roy by the door, a small smirk on his face as he listened in.

"Rook, you lost because I have much more time in these machines than you do. And yes, it was three on one." Rick stated bluntly, watching the depressed looks deepen. "But it was expected. You guys are still learning how to be combat pilots. It will take time. Despite losing, you three showed great team work and potential. But you also have glaring flaws that will get you killed."

He looked directly at Baker. "You are way too eager to rush into a fight. You are also cocky about your skills. Many pilots who act just like you don't live past the first sortie. Leave your ego on the ground."

"You, She Hulk, have a tendency to be too aggressive when you do finally attack. You over exert and leave yourself open. And you don't communicate to your wingmen as often as you should. You're too cold to them." Penn has the grace to flush at his statements.

"And Cipher..." He paused before he spoke. "You tend to go with the flow. Now, normally, in a battle, it's expected. But you are still making the small mistakes that can get you killed up there."

He watched as all three stared dejectedly at him and he smiled softly. "But, with time and practice, I know you guys can be some of the best we have. I was serious when I said you guys have great potential, we just have to work on those rough spots. Think about what I said and I'll see you three on Thursday. Dismissed."

The three grumbled and left the room, giving Roy the greeting of the day as the Vice Admiral entered the room. Rick gave him a nod. "Admiral."

"Looks like you're getting to be a pretty good at those speeches General." Roy grinned.

Rick gave a smirk. "I learned from the best."

Roy grinned and buffed his nails on his chest.

"I am pretty good at it, aren't I?"

"I was talking about my wife." Roy gave a mock hurt look before he laughed with Rick. "So what brings you here Roy?"

The Admiral gave a wide grin and a mischievous look on his face. "I have the most hilarious idea for a prank. One I know you'll find hilarious."

Rick cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you have in mind?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick peeked around the corner and had to cover his mouth as Roy was bouncing around like a kid in a candy store. This was too funny to watch. He turned his head to the sound of heels and his smile faltered as Lisa was walking towards them with a questioning gaze. "What are you two doing out here?"

Rick looked to Roy who shrugged, still grinning and turned to his wife. "Pranking the bridge crew."

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"How?"

"By sending the Mini Lisa in there." Roy chuckled as Rick tried not to laugh at what his brother said. "She's doing a pretty good impression of you!"

Lisa's eyes narrowed before she placed her hands on her hips and a scowl crossed her face. "Of all the irresponsible and immature stunts!"

Lisa gave a frustrated growl and stormed onto the bridge after her daughter. Rick and Roy poked their heads back around the door frame as they saw her take a sleepy Kaylee from the Admiral, apologizing while Claudia spotted them and rolled her eyes. Roy grinned and grabbed Rick, both men heading away from the bridge, laughing loudly. "You think Lisa is mad?"

"Are you kidding?" Roy laughed. "Ten bucks says she asks for the camera footage to watch her self! You know she'll find it cute."

They laughed again as Roy was probably right!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Roy let out a low whistle as he took a look over the construction bays, Breetai standing next to him. "Impressive."

Breetai nodded as his own eyes looked over the framework of the SDF-3. They could see welding teams going about as they worked to bringing the skeleton of the mighty ship into reality. "She will be the most powerful ship built by either human or Zentradi."

"Do you think we'll need them?" Roy questioned, turning his eyes to Breetai. The man gave a thoughtful hum.

"Perhaps. From what little I remember of them, the RoboTech masters are nothing more than a militaristic society." Breetai replied, hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps at one time, they were peaceful beings. But let us not forget that my people were created first as slave labor then as warriors."

"I've been meaning to ask. Who are the Invid?" Roy frowned and turned his eyes back to the SDF-3. "You've mentioned a war between them and the Masters. How dangerous are they?"

Breetai's eyes narrowed as he spoke, his voice low and dangerous. "They are an honorless race. I do not know what started the war, but they have made sure to kill any who stand in their way. They would sooner see us dead than exist in peace as we have."

"What are they after?" Roy knew the answer to his question before he even asked it.

"The matrix." Breetai answered simply. "I do not know where or how the device functions to be perfectly honest. But I do know they would love nothing more than to gain possession of it. To them, we have no right to hold such power. And they would see us dead beneath their feet sooner than live peacefully with our two people."

Roy frowned and sighed. "It seems we are going to end up right in the middle of another war."

"I fear you may be correct my friend." Breetai agreed gravely.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rick grinned as Kaylee smashed the cake in front of her with childish glee and shook his head. For her first birthday, she seemed to enjoy it so far. That or it was that she was allowed to make a mess. The adults watched with laughter as she licked her little hands. Around him, his family relaxed. Ben and Sarah were smirking at the sight, and Rick spotted Ben giving looks to his wife, recognizing the protective look with a smile. Admiral Gloval as deep in discussion with Roy as the blonde man was asking questions about something Rick couldn't hear while Claudia placed a hand on her swollen stomach and raised a glass towards her brother-in-law. Jean and Vince were also sitting near, Vince grinning widely while Max laughed much to little Dana's delight, Miriya chatting with Jean as the woman was in the early stages of her own pregnancy. The Trio were gushing over Dana as the small baby gurgled at them. Rico and his friends were laughing loudly at the same joke Vince had made. And standing beside Lisa, smiling widely, was Minmei as she gave a small laugh before a pointed stare was aimed at Rick. Said man made his way to his Wife and Minmei, curious. "What's so funny?"

Lisa gave him a dazzling smile as Minmei just smirked at him. "Oh Lisa was just telling me about her idea of a revenge prank on you."

Rick gave Lisa a curious look as the woman slipped into his side.

"And how will you do that Lisa?"

"That would be telling." She gave a sing song tone and Rick smirked. "Just know, it will come someday."

"Unless we have a boy who ends up looking exactly like me, I don't see how you'll be able to get back at me."

"So you do admit it was your idea." Lisa smirked.

"No! It was Roy's!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The being frowned as he read the reports before him, the computer screen casting a soft glow in the rather dim room. They'd been surprised to receive a hyperspace report from their returning fleet. Of course, it would take them another thirteen years to finally reach the home system. Hyperspace folds were far from instantaneous. "It seems Dolza has indeed failed.

"His defeat was due to his arrogance." His duplicate remarked. "He has lost us the Matrix."

The third among them frowned. "Perhaps it is time for us to seek the matrix ourselves."

His brothers turned to him as one.

"We do not have the protocultue reserves to spare."

"And if we do nothing, we will use all that remains."

One of them frowned. "A consensus is needed. We must chose the most prudent course of action. We must reclaim the matrix,"

"The clones are failing rapidly." His brother spoke with a frown. "Zor had indeed prepared himself well. But we are close to a breakthrough. Perhaps we do not need to reclaim his fortress."

"No. We have nearly depleted all the viable clones. We must act before the Invid discover the Fortress's location."

"Will that not show our hand?" His brother challenged, the lights casting harsh shadows across his face. "They would be fools not to take note of our departure."

"And if we stay to debate, they will overrun us. We need the matrix to survive."

The middle one sighed and nodded his head. "I am in agreement. We must leave while we can. We shall wait to see what the elders say."

They sent the information to the Elders and the three waited patiently. From where they stood, they could see the three speaking in harsh whispers for near an hour until they received a response. The Brothers looked inward to the central display and the hesitant among them gave a sigh. "Then so be it. We shall depart for the human star system immediately. Ready the fleet."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rick looked over his now one year old daughter and smiled warmly as she slept. She'd grown so much and so quickly, Rick wished time would slow down to allow him to enjoy moments like these. Tucked into his side, Lisa was silent as she looked to their daughter. "Hard to believe she's a year old now."

Rick nodded absently. "Yeah. Hard to believe it's been four years since we met."

"Mmm. It wasn't the best meeting." She smirked and Rick gave a low chuckle. "But I'm glad it did. My life changed forever when a cocky little hot head called me a sourpuss over the TacNet."

Rick turned and pulled her close to him, basking the warmth that flared in his chest as she smiled brillinatly up at him. "And mine changed the day we left Mars. The day I saw a vulnerable and pained young woman. Not some old stuck up sour puss."

"We've come a long way, haven't we." Lisa asked in a whisper, her eyes studying his. "Mars was the turning point for us, I think. Never thought I say I'm grateful we landed there."

"Yes it was. As much as I'd rather never set foot on it again, I can't help but be thankful it happened." He smiled softly at her. "It started the path we've taken and I would never change that for all the stars in the sky."

Lisa gave him a kiss before she looked back to Kaylee. "Do you think we can even make peace with the Masters?"

Rick followed her gaze and his eyes landed on his daughter.

"If we can't, I'll personally bomb them back to the stone age."

"Take me to bed Hunter." Lisa whispered.

"But..I'm not tired." She gave a laugh at his confused tone and gave him a sultry smile.

"Who said it was to sleep?"

Rick gave an answering growl and followed his wife to bed. No matter what the future held, no matter what battles he had to face, Rick Hunter would face the Great Demon himself if it meant keeping his wife and daughter safe.

* * *

 **A/N: Some of you may notice an Easter egg shout out to JayDog75 in this chapter. Anyway, as I said above, there is still an epilogue left to do. I really hope you guys have enjoyed this AU take on RoboTech and once more I am humbled by the responses I have received. As said, I have a rough story line idea for a sequel I just have to hammer out. And I think you guys will love the epilogue. So stay tuned, just one more time, for the final chapter of Mars, Alight!**


	26. Epilogue

**A/N: Final chapter. Ending notes for Alight at the end. Please read um and drop a review. Thanks as always guys!**

* * *

Epilogue

Unleashed

The two tone blare from the alert sirens woke her. Snorting, she glared at the infernal alarm before blinking her frustrations away and jumped from her bed, rushing to her wall locker and through the steel door open and yanking out the emerald green trimmed flight suit. Cursing softly, the young woman struggled to get the damned thing on and zipped it in a flash and hurrying out the door, her hands rapidly pulling back her long think sheets of dark blonde, almost brown, hair back and into a quick bun as pilots and crews rushed from their own rooms to muster for the alert that was flashing around them. She heard the approaching thud of combat boots and spared a glance as her life long friends were sprining toward her.

"Queen! Any idea what this is about?" The blonde huffed as they pulled even with the blue eyed woman. Queen gave a shake of her head.

"No idea Ice. Best guess, Invid had some reinforcements lurking around and they decided to stop by and say hi." Queen joked, though it was a very real possibility. The third young woman, her dark red hair cut close let her own light green eyes flash as a dark look crossed her delicate face.

"I hope not."

Queen gave a grim nod of agreement as the three entered the main hanger bay and headed toward their Alpha's. Ice Blonde gave a short wave before she continued on, heading for the Hovertanks firing to life along the opposite side of the bay. Queen gave an amused shake of her head as she hoped up the ladder to her dark green Alpha Fighter. "Still surprised she refuses to join the airwing."

The comm display kicked on to show the grinning face of Bowie Grant, call sign Shaker. _"You know the ground is where the real fighting happens Queen."_

Queen gave him an annoyed scowl as once more, the friendly rivalry between fighter jock and ground pounder came to life. The panel clicked to show Shaker and Ice Blonde grinning. _"Shaker gets it Queen!"_

"Just remember that when you need me to provide CAS for you Sterling." She joked back as her crew chief hurried up the ladder and checked on her. The young man gave a tight nod.

"Good hunting ma'am!"

Queen gave a thumbs up and her canopy sealed as the green fighter's engines rumbled to life, her start up complete as the display came back with green across the board. The ladder was pulled clear and she fed some power to her engines. The mighty Alpha slowly rolled forward as the hovertanks hurried from the bay. She took a calming breath as her fighter came to the correct runway. "Tower, Queen. Ready on the line and requesting permission to take off."

 _"Queen, Tower. You are cleared to launch. Good hunting!"_

She smiled at the familiar voice before her face became serious, a professional mask slipping onto her delicate features she'd been told she'd gotten from her mother. Her Uncle once joked he was thankfully she had her mother's beauty of his brothers ugly mug. The engines roared as the Alpha seemed to leap forward as it always did and very soon, she was skyward and rapidly climbing to Earth Orbit. She really hoped it wasn't the Invid coming back for round two. It had taken damn near everything they had to kick them off the planet once and they only managed to get Earth back because the Invid left as they had launched the Neutron-S warheads. She felt her hope hope that maybe Captain Grant had found _them_. Her family had been left behind when he had been forced to retreat with a warning that had been too late, though the Invid seemed to have done them a favor and prevented the warheads from fully being used.

"All fighters form on my wing." She ordered in a cool voice.

The panel flashed on again and the face of Maia Sterling snapped on, her bright pink hair standing out clearly even with the flight helmet on. _"Good to see you Queen. You and your pilots ready?"_

"Affirmative Skull Leader." Queen replied, her blue eyes flashing with determination. "Ready to send any Invid packing."

 _"Good to hear ma'am."_ Maia smirked. _"Should be intersting to fly off your wing. Dad always said no one was crazier in the air than a Hunter."_

Captain Kaylee Hunter grinned in a way that normally had her Grandfather Henry reaching for the aspirin bottle. "And don't you forget it Sterling!"

Maia smirked and the panel cut off as the Alphas formed into a loose formation, ready to break should it be an Invid ship approaching. They loved to swarm their fighters around a target and the RDF and by extension, the REF had opted for a more openly spaced fighter formations to counter the tactic. Kaylee's com panel kicked on and the thoughtful face of Ashley appeared. _"Why would the Invid come back? They already sapped us of Protoculture six months ago."_

"Maybe they want to finish what they started Bubbles." Kaylee commented darkly. "You know how bad they were kicking our collective asses."

 _"Maybe Captain Grant found the SDF-3."_ Ashley offered. _"He did head out after the Invid left to find them."_

Kaylee sighed, and while hopeful knew it shouldn't have taken six months to return home. "Unless they had some kind of massive navigational error, it shouldn't have taken six months. Granted, we have no idea what kind of effects the Neutron-S created black hole could have, but the _Arkangel_ did fold away from the area."

She'd never said it, but she was angry at Vince for leaving her family stranded over a black hole. She kept it in check though, as she knew logically, he had no choice at the time. Looking back, she knew he had time to retry his assisted fold jump. But at the time, no one could have predicted the Invid would actually save them from their own weapons. And knowing her father, Admiral Hunter would have made sure to stress the need for Vince to get back to Earth with the warning rather than waste time trying to save them. She was broken from her revere as space began to warp before them and readied herself. "All fighters, stand by. Do not engage until we have a clear target."

Kaylee spotted the foldsphere forming before them and watched in awe as the very fabric of space seemed to bubble and twist as the form of two familiar ships began to take shape inside the sphere. Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes went wide. Her heart seemed to be trying to beat its way out of her chest in a painful rhythm With an almost profound flash of light, the sphere vanished and sitting in space was the _ArkAngel_ , Captain Grant's ship. But her eyes weren't looking to the rather graceful looking ship. Instead her eyes were locked on the mighty vessel that began to move from it's place under her, the massive form of a ship she hadn't seen in near twenty-five years drifted before her.

"They're home." She breathed, tears stinging her eyes. "They're finally home."

She watched, joyfully, as the massive fortress made it's way to settle into low Earth orbit. Her eyes took in every detail of the hull that she could make out and almost missed the beeping of the communications system at her. She pressed the required button and the grinning face of Vince Grant appeared. " _Captain Hunter. I found something you might like."_

She smiled at Vince's joke, his deep voice tinged with humor as she wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Grant. It's just what I've always wanted."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kaylee was literally a blur after her Alpha touched down on hanger deck of the SDF-3, a ship that had been gone for a very long time. She growled, impatient as the canopy raised, annoyed that it seemed to be moving slower than usual. Once it did, she leapt clear from her fighter, the ground crews eyeing her in amusement as they knew just who it was now sprinting across the flight deck towards the three people at the main entrance. The Crew Chief shrugged and went about his duty to tie the bird down until it was ready to depart again. Kaylee didn't see anyone but the three people at the hanger entrance, the tall man smiling brightly at her as the woman beside him took off towards the incoming young Captain. Kaylee smiled through her tears as the woman opened her arms, emerald ords swimming in emotions as Kaylee reached her. Both women embraced each other, sobbing as the two men, one looking like a young version of the gray haired man beside him. The older woman held her tightly, whispering she was sorry they had to leave her on Earth.

"Mom." Kaylee choked out, her own tears running down her cheeks. "It's okay. I understood then and I still do. "

"I know." Lisa said, her voice thick with regret, pride, and happiness as she held her eldest tightly. "I know you do. We wanted you to be safe."

"Yeah, but we left her in Roy's care so that may have been a questionable choice for safety." Rick Hunter pointed out with a grin as his blue eyes landed on his daughter, his own eyes stinging with hot tears as he opened his arms. "You been good for your Uncle there Sparky?"

Kaylee gave a teary laugh and launched herself at her father, not caring that she was a twenty-eight year old woman behaving like a ten year old. Anyone laughed, she'd deal with them. She grinned up at her father, her grin so similar to his. "Of course Dad! The perfect angel."

Rick snorted.

"Yeah, I'll buy that." He remarked with sarcasm. "Your mother likes to point out how you act like I did. I heard all about your stunts while we were away Kaylee."

Letting out a giddy laugh, Kaylee turned her attention to the nine year old standing next to them, looking at her with curious eyes that were the same shade of green as their mothers. The little boy watched as the young woman knelled in front of him, a bright smile on her face. "So you're my little brother huh?"

The boy nodded and looked at her shyly.

"I'm Mitch. It nice to meet you big sister."

He squeaked with Kaylee pulled him into a tight hug and gave a nervous laugh as the young woman pulled away before she ruffled his hair. The boy frowned and his hands went up to try to tame the mess of hair he called his much to the adults amusement. Kaylee wore a wide smile as she rose back to her feet, fighting to keep her ragging emotions in check as Rick chuckled and looked at his children while Lisa seemed to melt into his side, her own emotions all over the place. Kaylee was the first to speak. "So...does this mean you are back for good?"

Rick heard her hopeful tone and nodded, his heart stabbed with regret at having split his family years ago. Now, he had a chance to make up for lost time. A chance to make things right. They'd say in the history books that this mission was a success with acceptable loss. To Rick Hunter, he'd never say the loss they had suffered had been acceptable. The Military Commander reminded him it was a necessary sacrifice. But the father in him knew it was the worst ever asked of him. But now he could fix his mistake. Lisa, sensing what was going through his mind ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "We did what we had to."

"You did." Kaylee stated, watching the flashes in her father's eyes. "You did what was right Dad. I never hated you for it. You taught me that family is important. And you did what you need to to keep that family safe."

Rick's eyes softened as his daughter took a breath and returned the dazzling one she gave him before she hugged him once more, tears finally falling from Rick's eyes. "I am so very proud to be your daughter. And that will never change."

 **End of Book One**

* * *

 **Well, here we are guys. This is the final chapter to Mars Alight. Now, this epilogue takes place six months after The Shadow Chronicles. However, the sequel will take place one year prior to the SDF-3's launch and show the Crystal War that was covered in one comic book. That should be fun to write. It will continue onto the Masters Arc and to the Invid arrivial. That one will be possibly as long as Alight is which at over 215K words, I have some work ahead of me! The working title for it is RoboTech Unleashed. Not sure if I'll keep that title. Hmmm...the third and final one will deal with part of the SDF-3's mission and her meeting the Haydonites, the truly greatest threat to humanity and the Sentinel Races. That book with cross the gap between RoboTech: Sentinels and up to the ending of the Shadow Chronicles. I'm considering one for the inevitable counter attack on the haydonites and the war that would follow that one will be truly the toughest to write as I'm not aware of much material out there on the Haydonites or as the Invid call them...The Children of the Shadows. It'll be awhile before I post the next one thought guys! Oh boy, each should be around 200K words or more so that will be fun. Now, onto my shout outs!**

 **andrewjameswilliams: When you first dropped a review, I was stunned! It was your fine work on Second Chances that brought me to post my little (well, maybe not little) RoboTech AU on here. I'm pleased you have enjoyed this story as much as you have and I am really looking forward to your next chapter, and I understand about the muse thing. It happens to all of us! As I said, you gave the push for me to post this and I'm very proud of what I have done with it. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the sequel, when I write it! You actually posted the first review for this tale so you've been with us since the start!**

 **jag389: Just like with andrew, you've been with this tale since it's early days. You've been a loyal reader and I am glad you've enjoyed what I have written. I think you'll enjoy the sequels I have in mind for our favorite power couple and such so just keep checking for it! Maybe sometime around next month I post the sequel, just need to get my lore straight is all!**

 **Giulio the Roman: Ah...what can I say but thank you for following through to the end my friend! You're reviews are always a riot! Still waiting on Lisa to show up at my house lol! You promised man! Anyway, you've been a very loyal reader and I am glad you've stuck with us to the end...of the beginning! As I said, I have a sequel in mind, but need time to get it up and running. Just keep your eyes out!**

 **CaptMacca: Not sure what happened to ya buddy! Hope you've managed to keep up and get the rest read. And I hope all is well.**

 **Fer82: A man who needs to introduction! First off, thank you for all your reviews. Second, thanks for the lore fix! You know what I am talking about. Anyway, Loved your review to the big fight finish! I hadn't even thought of that M.K. reference lol. When I wrote it, I had been watching DooM (yeah love the game, tolerate the movie, barely) and kinda just rolled with it from there. Besides, you gotta admit that Rick melting Khyron's head from his body was pretty cool! And believable. Don't worry, that'll play into the next book! Looking forward to your review on it once I have it up and ready!**

 **sscaldwe: Thank you very much for following me on this journey! I'm not going to lie, your review on Chapter 24 made me laugh and yeah, I was giving props to Mad Dog. I'm a jarhead and I highly approve of him as SecDef. And yeah, I pulled the Joker line. I've always loved that line and too be honest, I'm still not sure why it popped into my head to use. Guess I was channeling my Inner Rick! Anyway, thanks and keep your eyes wide for the sequel. I'm sure most of you will freak when you read it! In the good way lol!**

 **Cjusa1234: To answer your question, yes. Yes I will be. I took like the idea of a Mecha with big guns clamping down on a hull and going knock knock as it fires it's guns into the enemy ship from point blank range! It makes me cackle evilly! And yes that will indeed come into play! I need to so some research including watching the ASC arc, but expect a few more battles and such. Glad you've liked the tale so far.**

 **JayDog75: You my friend are very much welcome! This story, despite it's size, took me just shy of three months to write. Posted Dec 8, 2016 and have ended the first arc today, Feb 5, 2017 at 1630 EST from my little home in Dayton Ohio. Really enjoyed your reviews and glade I could inspire chapter 19. I'm curious how it will turn out with how Khyron has decided to put a bullseye on his head. Anyway, glad you liked the tale and all the fight scenes, escpecially the final battle. Don't think I've ever seen a battle that lived up to and blew away all expectations and hype. But glad I could do it! I've a fairly decent battle writer. Anyway, same as the others, keep an eye out for the sequel. May have you look over um as a beta reader maybe. And sscaldwe is itching for a full colab but don't know yet. Would need a story line anyway. And I'm working on a script for the Abirdged thing we were talking about the other day.**

 **Just a Crazy-Man: Well, your reviews are always straight to the point. Thank you for following along and I'm considering the information you sent me, so give me some time to think about it lol. As for An SDF-1 the size of manhatton...eh, that's a little too big lol! Anway, keep a look out for the next arc!**

 **Alright guys, been a fun and wild ride. But as with all good things...Mars Alight is now officially complete! Pop over to the oneshot folder for a few new tales and I plan to put up a small oneshot, the second draft idea for this epilogue. May even have a good full fledge one that shows the darker side of Rick when some one royally pisses him off...well, on par with how he killed Khyron but without Skull One! Hope you enjoyed Alight. See you out there!**

 **~theGhostflyer~**


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